Nasarawa United’s technical adviser, Salisu Yusuf, has revealed that fatigue nearly prevented his team from securing all three points in their clash with Lobi Stars.
The Solid Miners mounted an impressive comeback on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, overturning an early deficit to claim a 2-1 victory. Lobi Stars took the lead through Japhet Kundushima, but Nasarawa United responded with goals from Shina Kumater and Anas Yusuf to seal the win.
Reflecting on the performance, Yusuf admitted that his players struggled, particularly at the beginning of the match.
“It was a very difficult game, you know. My boys were a little bit down, especially within the first twenty minutes, and we got punished for that,” Yusuf said after the final whistle.
He attributed the sluggish start to accumulated fatigue from extensive travel. “The entire team members were fatigued and highly overburdened after traveling to Gombe, then to Benin City, and to Enugu.”
According to Yusuf, the turnaround came during the halftime team talk, where he encouraged his players to dig deep and respond positively in the second half.
“We told the players to rediscover themselves and find a way back, knowing the situation we found ourselves in, particularly at these dying moments of the league campaign,” he explained. “We told them to show the desire, hunger, and passion to change the rhythm of the game, and thank God we got two instant responses early after the break.”
