David vs Goliath: Abakaliki boys dares Kwara United in Challenge Cup Final

It’s the ultimate underdog tale — and it’s heading for a blockbuster climax.

Tiny Abakaliki FC, relegated and almost forgotten in Nigeria’s third-tier league, will face top-flight big boys Kwara United in tomorrow’s President Federation Cup final — the country’s oldest and most glamorous football competition.

The Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos will be the battleground, and neither side is pulling punches.

Coach Ifeanyi Onyedika, a veteran of the game and a man who’s been here before, is calm as ever ahead of the final clash.

“Yes, I want to win. But I’m under no pressure,” he told reporters, with a quiet smile that belies the giant-slaying run his side has pulled off.

And he has every right to feel confident.

Abakaliki have stunned fans by knocking out four Nigerian Premier Football League teams — Nasarawa United, Enyimba, Ikorodu City, and Katsina United.

Now, the minnows from the lower leagues have their eyes on the biggest prize of all.

“Our humble status won’t matter on the pitch,” Onyedika said. “From the start, we’ve taken each match as it comes. We have nothing to fear.”

But Kwara United boss Tunde Sanni isn’t buying into any fairy tale.

“There’ll be no David and Goliath upset here,” he fired back.

“We are hungrier for glory, and we know what’s at stake.”

Sanni’s men, who campaign in the top-tier NPFL, are chasing history.

“If we win tomorrow, it’ll be the first major football silverware to come to Kwara State,” he said proudly.

And make no mistake — this match is about more than just silverware. It’s pride, history, and reputation all rolled into one.

With over 70 clubs starting out in this year’s campaign, only two remain.

Tomorrow, one team walks away a hero. The other, just a footnote in Nigerian football’s wildest cup story yet.

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