Mathias Samuel hit a brace to live up to his pre-match bravado to dismiss the threat of Gombe United in their Matchday 8 northeast derby at the El-Kanemi Stadium in Maiduguri on Sunday evening.
El-Kanemi Warriors had brushed aside a hapless Gombe United 3-0 in a one-sided match that saw the hosts approach the game with an intent to grab all three points from the blast of the whistle.
The attacking trio of Bello Kofarmata, Hussaini Bata and wonderkid Ibrahim Babangida were the tormentors in chief, unleashing series of attacks early on to keep goalkeeper Emmanuel Fabiyi very busy. Ali Malika Usman's long throw-in pressured the visitors goal area severally and it turned out the biggest weapon of threat for the hosts.
It was Kofarmata who capitalized on a poor clearance in front of goal to blast home the opener eight minutes into play. Three minutes later Hussaini Bata and Lucky Erimuya took turns to aim shots at goal from perfect deliveries by Mathias. The Borno Army kept their attacking tempo and turned most defensive moves into attacks.
Aghahowa Otakha benefited from a loose ball in one of the build-ups that produced a glaring chance at goal but he fired wide.
Maurice Chigozie was the first to be cautioned by referee Jelili Ogunmuyiwa after a deliberate tackle on Ibrahim Babangida. That foul resulted into the second goal as Mathias curled in a spectacular free kick from 35 yards on 26 minutes to leave Fabiyi stranded.
Mathias was gifted the opportunity to bag his brace after being brought down in the box by onrushing Isaac Giwa. He stepped up boldly and sent Fabiyi in the wrong direction.
"I am proud to say we were the better side. I said it before the game that our home ground is a fortress and we are willing to make it a trade mark as long as possible," Mathias said shortly after being named man-of-the-match.
El-Kanemi Warriors have now won all four out of four home matches this season, stretching their home run to 17 consecutive wins.
The win moves El-Kanemi up to fifth on the log, having amassed 12 points from a possible 24. Their next match is away to Abia Warriors. Gombe United dropped to ninth spot with ten points from eight matches, they host Akwa United on Sunday 19th February.