On Saturday, 12 September, Epic Alliance were crowned champions of the 2026 Sigma Chief’s League after a 4-3 penalty shoout-out victory over defending champions TomTom following a 0-0 draw in regulation time.
About an hour after the conclusion of the third-place play-off, the Old SUB Pitch played host to the final of the Sigma Sports Football Tournament, a meeting between a side intimately familiar with this particular stage and another experiencing it for the first time.
And so, the stage was set again. For the TomTom boys in their distinct black and white kits, this was all too familiar territory. Coach Ayobami’s side entered the final as defending champions and four-time consecutive finalists, having survived a nervy 4–3 penalty shootout against Vipers in the semi-final. They were back where they had become accustomed to being, and with a trophy to defend. Ayobami named a formidable, familiar 4-3-3 starting 11. Afeez started in goal behind a back four of Joshua, Habeeb, Malik, and Toheeb. In midfield, Emmanuel and Peter were joined by captain Ayodele (Pamilerin), finally fit to start after a painful back injury, while Marvellous, Bolaji, and Abdullahi “Baloo” spearheaded the attack.
Epic Alliance had no such history to lean on. This was their first Sigma League final. But if anything, their route to the showpiece suggested that the record books were the last thing they intended to worry about. Having finished the group stage as the tournament’s top scorers with 6 goals before dismantling Valiente 3-0 in the semi-finals, goals had become Alliance’s primary currency. Unfazed by TomTom’s pedigree and historical backing, they fielded an unchanged side, led by the attacking duo of Primus and Mike, with Mahrez pulling the strings as the creative engine behind them.
On paper, it was touted to be a final between experience and the brute attacking force of Alliance. On the pitch, however, TomTom wasted no time in making their intentions clear. They attacked almost immediately, repeatedly testing the Epic Alliance goal. Shots were met by timely defensive interventions, while Animashaun in the Alliance goal was called upon to make save after save. Clearance after clearance prevented Alliance from establishing sustained possession, allowing TomTom to recycle the ball and begin another attack.
Yet for all of TomTom’s pressure, the breakthrough refused to come, and the Alliance backline refused to budge. Because of how little time they now had on the ball, Alliance struggled to craft out any comparable threat of their own. Their last significant effort of the half was saved by Afeez, bringing the opening 25 minutes to a close without a goal.
The scoreline, at 0-0, grossly misrepresented the balance of the first half, for TomTom had been the more threatening side, but the champions had nothing to show for it. And the longer the game remained goalless, the more dangerous the situation became for the champions. Nerves were already very telling on the faces of the TomTom players towards the break.
More frustration began to creep into the champions’ ranks when substitute Seun carved open the Alliance defense with a precise pass, only for Baloo to uncharacteristically miss a sitter from close range. Still, Epic Alliance’s defence held. For the entire second half, the pattern remained familiar: TomTom searched for the opening, Alliance absorbed the pressure, and that single goal continued to remain desperately out of reach.
Animashaun and the Alliance defence had survived what was arguably their sternest examination of the tournament. TomTom, despite controlling much of the contest, had failed to turn their dominance into the one thing that mattered most. The lone goal. And eventually, the final moved to penalties.
TomTom appeared to have another possible weapon available in goal. Stephen, a.k.a ‘Kesh’, had come off the bench as a centre-back, and TomTom hoped to exploit his reflexes by moving him between the posts for the shootout. The referee, however, would not permit the positional switch.
After some back-and-forth that threatened to boil over, the penalty shootout finally began and TomTom went first. Almost immediately, the champions found themselves in trouble. Their first two attempts were missed, with substitute Jamiu’s failure particularly surprising given his earlier contribution from the spot. (his two penalty goals had helped TomTom defeat Tech Road FC in the quarter-final)
With the TomTom eyes staring into the brink of despair, Afeez would give his teammates a lifeline. The TomTom goalkeeper saved two penalties, dragging the champions back into the shootout and bringing the score level at 2–2. From there, both teams continued to convert, till the score became 3-3.
That was until Kesh stepped forward, at least. The centre-back had the opportunity to decide the contest but his shot was saved by Animashaun, and Alliance converted their final kick.
Epic Alliance had survived TomTom’s assault for 50 minutes. They had survived the pressure of the defending champions. And now, after a penalty shootout of their own, they had survived long enough to take the trophy. The first-time finalists were suddenly champions, and TomTom’s short lived reign had ended not with a goal conceded, but with that one that stubbornly proved elusive.
Oluwatimilehin Akinboye.
