The opening game for the 7th edition of the biggest inter-departmental football competition gave a preview into what a crazy ride this year’s edition is going to be like. We have seen surprise victories, remontadas, and total whitewashing, but before we begin to enjoy the goodness that will be matchday 2, let us have a look at a roundup for matchday 1 of Seals Cup ‘25.
GROUP A
As covered by UIMSA Press, the opener for this edition of the Seals Cup, I.P.E. vs. MBBS, met all expectations, delivering one of the best games you will ever witness on the Old Pitch.
The other Group A fixture between A.S.S.E. and Biochemistry was held on Friday, the 23rd. The education outfit saw out a crucial 1-nil lead courtesy of a goal from Ola. The introduction of the experienced goalkeeper contributed greatly to A.S.S.E.’s defensive integrity. This win gives A.S.S.E. a great advantage in deciding the affairs of the group of death.
GROUP B
In the first game of Group B, which was held on Friday, Pharmacy had to comeback from a goal down to grab all three points against Chemistry. Dr. Show was the messiah that grabbed the winner at the death with a low strike that finally broke Chemistry’s hold on the draw.
On Sunday, Statistics, on the other hand, utterly annihilated Electrical Engineering, scoring five goals with no reply. New signee Baloo grabbed a brace, Tofunmi also grabbed a brace, and center forward Laolu completed the five. This statement win puts Statistics in the very comfortable position in terms of goal difference, with them and Pharmacy leading the group.
GROUP C
Both games for Group C were played on Saturday. The UI football team also had a friendly game with the UNIOSUN football team; hence, some of the attention from the football faithfuls was split between the SEALS Cup and the friendly game held at the New Sports Complex, Awo Stadium.
Microbiology was held to a 1-1 stalemate by Physiotherapy. The College of Medicine side was resilient in asking the Microbiology defense questions. Their resilience paid off when their striker, Lowo, managed to put the ball in the back of the Microbiology net.
In the other fixture in the group, Economics won their first game of the group stages against C.L.A. by two goals to one. C.L.A. played with 10 men for most of the game due to a red card, and Economics did not fail to capitalize on the numerical advantage.
GROUP D
Civil Engineering vs. Political Science proved to be one of the surprise fixtures of matchday one. Heskeyman led his team to victory by scoring the penalty gifted to his team by the Political Science defender that handled the ball in the 18-yard box. He also uncharacteristically played as a center-back, making a few goalline clearances. On the other hand, Pogba and new signee Korede could not connect and find a way to bring the political scientists into the game.
In the other fixture of the group, which was played on Monday, Law could not fight their way back from conceding two goals in the first half against Archeology & Anthropology. They managed to pull one back in the second half, but ultimately it was not enough to grab them any points.
GROUP E
On Friday, Veterinary Medicine eased past History with a two-goal win over them courtesy of strikes from Tolu and Robinson. It was a familiar result for the Obaro Warriors, who are still looking for their first win in the SEALS Cup.
The next day, Sociology won a hard-fought battle against L.A.R.I.S. Kay’s beautiful first-half low-placed freekick was enough to guarantee all three points for his side.
GROUP F
Both matches for this group were played on Monday. E.H.S. vs. Physics was the first match of the day. Both teams refused to let the other go, with E.H.S. equalizing less than two minutes after Physics had gone one goal up through a Kewe freekick. The game eventually ended 1-all.
Later that day, Geology stunned W.B.E. to a 1-0 win. The Rockites, through Patrick, scored a second-half goal that the Pade-led W.B.E. had no reply to.
GROUP G
The last game on Sunday featured Forestry going up against Philosophy. The match ended in a 1-0 win for Philosophy. It was indeed a battle, with a total of 11 cards shown, which included 4 red cards! The cards came from an altercation that occurred when a Philosophy player grabbed a Forestry player by the neck while attempting to retrieve the ball. It will be interesting to see if further punishments will be meted out by the disciplinary committee on the players involved.
On the other hand, Agricultural Engineering was able to run away with a 1-0 victory over Emeka-led Psychology. It was a surprise loss, and fans of Agricultural Engineering would feel they deserved even more from the game, as there was a controversial yellow card given to Psychology’s stalwart defender for a last-man foul.
GROUP H
Urban and Regional Planning (URP) announced their intentions for this year’s SEALS Cup with a determined 2-1 victory over neighbors, Architecture. URP quickly established dominance in the first-half by going two goals up. Architecture tried to pull a comeback, but their efforts could only produce one goal in the second half.
For the final game in Matchday 1, Human Kinetics edged past Petroleum Engineering with a lone goal courtesy of an own goal by a PET player. This puts URP and HKE as leaders of the group. PET would have to sit up against Architecture if they plan on moving to the next round.
