NPFL: Musa bags brace, misses penalty on Pillars return

Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa marked his return to the Nigeria Premier Football League with a brace but missed a penalty for Kano Pillars, who beat Sunshine Stars 2-0 at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina on Sunday.

Winless in their last three matches, coach Usman Abdallah and his team were weighed down by the pressure of the new campaign, and he trusted the returning Musa with a place in the starting lineup.

Making his third debut for Kano Pillars in the week five game, Musa justified Adballah’s confidence in him as it took him just four minutes to register his name on the score sheet with a lethal finish.

He was at the right place at the right time to fire Pillars in front from the edge of the box after being teed up by Mustapha Umar, who made a solo run down the right.

Six minutes after the restart, the former Leicester City striker made it 2-0 for Pillars but missed the chance to score a hat-trick when his 70th-minute penalty hit the post.

The 31-year-old’s brace was enough to secure a second win of the season for Pillars, who hadn’t won since their opening day 3-0 thrashing of Ikorodu City.

Musa and Nigeria midfielder Shehu Abdullahi rejoined the Sai Masu Gida on short-term contracts for the 2024/25 season.

Abdullahi was named on the bench but would have to wait for his second debut for the club where he won three NPFL titles between 2012 and 2014.

Musa is rejoining Pillars for a third stint after featuring for them between 2009/10 and 2021.

His last club was Turkish side Sivasppor, and they parted ways by mutual consent in February.

During Musa’s first spell at Pillars in 2009, he ended the season as the top scorer with 18 goals before joining VVV Venlo in the Dutch Eredivisie.

With two wins, a draw, and two defeats, Pillars are now seventh in the NPFL table with seven points.

The defeat was also Sunshine Stars’ second of the season, leaving them with seven points on the log behind their hosts on goal difference.