Day Two opened with Forza FC taking on Volterra FC. Jamiu opened the floodgates for Forza. Forza kept the pressure up and was handed the chance to double their lead from the penalty spot minutes before halftime. Jamiu stepped up again and made no mistake from twelve yards. After the restart, Frank added a third to seal the deal and ensure Forza’s safe passage to the quarter-finals. For Volterra, it was a game to forget, as they never really found their footing.
The second match featured the Indy-heavy Elite XI FC taking on Epic Alliance FC. Both sides looked equally threatening in the early exchanges, but it was Epic Alliance who cracked first. A defensive lapse allowed Ebenezer to square for Adepoju Emmanuel, who calmly slotted home the opener. From there, the game swung back and forth, with both teams probing, breaking lines, and testing the keepers. The second half was marred by a string of offside calls—fittingly, the defining feature of the game. Elite XI thought they’d doubled their lead late on, but it was chalked off for offside. In the end, that early goal proved decisive, and Epic Alliance was sent packing.
Next up, we had Vipers FC go head-to-head against the star-studded United Superstars FC (USFC). Pre-match, there was a lot of hype around USFC, who boasted the likes of Zico, Enablement, Prestige, Kevwe, and Kadasa. Eventually, the hype did prove justified as they put on a show, but Vipers FC started brighter though, and nearly nicked one before a fine recovery tackle denied them. However, once they had settled, USFC poured forward in numbers, only to be denied time and again by Feranmi, the Vipers’ goalkeeper, who put on an inspired performance. A nasty collision left Feranmi down on the ground for an extended period, but he dusted himself off—only to foul a USFC player moments later and concede a penalty. Kadasa stepped up, but Feranmi guessed right again, producing a spectacular stop to keep his side in the game. The second half opened with Vipers again starting brightly, this time denied by the USFC goalkeeper. The breakthrough finally came, but at the other end, when Robinson fired USFC ahead. Soon after, Dynamite doubled their advantage, tapping in from Broda Alabi’s surging run and cross. At FT, the game was 2-0 to USFC, and the game looked done and dusted, but in a shocking twist, it is Vipers FC who will progress to the quarter finals, after USFC was disqualified for fielding an ineligible player.
The final match of the day saw TomTom FC make their long-awaited bow in this edition against Blue Lock FC. And they wasted no time in showing why they are tournament favorites—with Akinpade netting twice, either side of a Heskeyman strike, all within a blistering six-minute spell that had the score at 3-0 inside the opening 13 minutes. Rain, steady since kickoff, intensified as the game wore on, but TomTom stayed in control. Blue Lock grabbed a consolation in the second half via a Kante own goal, but the outcome was never in doubt.
For the second day running, rain denied fans a full slate of action, postponing the defending champions SFA’s highly anticipated opener against Rebels FC.