Sporting Lagos have secured their return to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), sealing promotion from the Nigeria National League (NNL) with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Osun United in Ileogbo, Osun State, on Thursday, The PUNCH reports.
Alex Leme scored the decisive goal, while goalkeeper Clinton Lawal produced a series of crucial saves to preserve the victory and confirm promotion.
The Lagos club topped the NNL Conference B table with 36 points ahead of Akwa United (35 points), who also defeated Solution FC 2-1 in Awka.
Separated by just one point heading into the final match of the regular season, Sporting Lagos needed a victory to secure their return to the top flight. Any other result would have handed the ticket to former NPFL champions Akwa United, who also did enough to win their fixture.
With the result, Sporting Lagos will return to the top flight after two seasons in the lower division. They were relegated in 2024 after just one season in the NPFL.
They will now join Inter Lagos and Ikorodu City as Lagos’ three top-flight representatives.
With Doma United already promoted, three promotion slots are still undecided in the NNL, leaving only the Conference D ticket between Jigawa Golden Stars and Ranchers Bees up for grabs.
The four promoted teams will compete for the NNL title in the Super 4 play-off in Ikenne following the conclusion of the regular season.
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