In a pulsating finale that delivered all the pieces a championship match ought to, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) emerged champions of the 2025 Maritime Cup, defeating arch-rivals Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) 4–1 on Wednesday to say their sixth title within the competitors’s historical past on the packed The Steady Pitch Surulere.
First-Half Hearth: Customs Strike Early
NCS began the sport with intent, controlling possession and urgent excessive. Their dominance paid off when Captain Abubakar Mikail rose above his marker with an acrobatic fashion from a pinpoint cross, hitting the crossbar to bounce within the web and sending the Customs supporters into jubilation.
Second-Half Drama: 4 Targets in 20 Minutes
The second half opened with each groups refusing to take a seat again. However the Ports Authority, recognized for his or her grit and resilience, responded swiftly. A fast counter-attack within the second half noticed Adeniran Afeez penalised from an infringement to present the opponent a free kick that was struck completely by Ibrahim Abdullah to complete calmly previous the goalkeeper, restoring parity and shifting momentum.
Customs regained the lead within the 52nd minute via the striker Sani Buhari who tapped in an excellent effort into the underside nook which led to the mass confrontation of NPA followers in direction of the match official questioning why the offside flag stayed down within the 1v1 state of affairs that led to the aim.
The ultimate restarted after ten minutes of delay. Eletu Olamilekan obtained a straight purple after a fierce elbow to an opponent and NPA lowered to 10-men. A couple of minutes later, NCS midfielder Orunesajo Funmi additionally despatched off within the sport.
Simply because the match appeared destined for a slim victory for NCS, the captain Abubakar Mikail capitalized on defensive error to push the result in 3-1 earlier than Sani Buhari ran via the middle midway line in direction of the ultimate third to crown his effort to a 4-1 lead.
Customs’ Legacy Continues
The victory marks a historic sixth Maritime Cup triumph for the Nigeria Customs Service, solidifying their standing because the competitors’s dominant power. The captain, Abubakar Mikail reward the sports activities secretary of NCS, the gamers resilience, describing the win as “a testomony to teamwork, self-discipline and a refusal to surrender. He advised Sports247 reporter throughout interview.
A Last to Bear in mind
This 12 months’s showdown shall be remembered as one of the vital thrilling finals in current editions—a match crammed with tactical battles, emotional swings, and high quality soccer reflective of the rising competitiveness throughout the maritime industries.
As the ultimate whistle blew, Customs gamers hoisted the trophy excessive, celebrating a legacy constructed on consistency, coronary heart, and an unyielding profitable mentality crowning champions from (2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2025).
Nigeria Customs Service took all of the fifteenth Version of Maritime Cup awards with Adeniran Afeez incomes the Most Worthwhile participant of the match and Abubakar Mikail for the very best aim scorer award and Ahmad Shamsu as the very best goalkeeper.
