Buter Unfazed by Sporting Lagos Defeat, Targets Response Against Enyimba

Sporting Lagos head coach Jeffery Buter has urged his players to put their 2-0 defeat to Abia Warriors behind them, insisting that the setback will not define their season.

Sporting entered Sunday’s encounter on the back of an impressive 3-0 victory over Inter Lagos at the Onikan Stadium but were unable to maintain that momentum in their first home match of the new NPFL campaign.

The hosts remained competitive for much of the contest before Abia Warriors finally broke the deadlock in the 88th minute through Ikoi Etta.

Former NPFL leading scorer Emeka Obioma then sealed the victory for the visitors two minutes later, scoring in the 90th minute to leave Sporting empty-handed on their return to home action in the top flight.

The defeat leaves Sporting Lagos on three points from their opening three matches, having recorded one victory and two defeats.

Buter, however, remains confident that his team can improve as the season progresses and believes Sunday’s result should be treated as just one setback in a long campaign.

“It’s a long season. One defeat doesn’t define our season. We won away from home and we lost at home; it tells you that anything can happen,” Buter said.

“This is gone and we’ll put it behind us as quickly as possible and focus on Enyimba.”

Sporting now face another demanding assignment on Wednesday when they travel to Aba to take on Enyimba, who are also searching for their first points after suffering defeats in each of their opening three matches.

Sunday’s fixture was particularly significant for Sporting, as it marked their first home NPFL match since their relegation in 2024. Despite failing to celebrate the occasion with a victory, Buter appreciated the strong support from the home crowd.

“It’s good to see them; you could feel the energy. It’s disappointing; the result is not what we wanted for them, but it’s always nice to have them back,” he said.

The Sporting coach remains optimistic about his team’s prospects and believes there is plenty of time to correct the shortcomings exposed by the defeat.

“It’s going to be a long season and I’m very optimistic about it and, like I said, this defeat doesn’t define our season. We will get better as the season goes on,” Buter added.

With Enyimba awaiting them in Aba, Sporting Lagos will now look to respond quickly and return to winning ways.