Kano Pillars technical adviser Daniel Ogunmodede has praised his team’s preparation after they produced an impressive 4-1 victory over Doma United in their Matchday 4 fixture of the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League season.
The result at the Sani Abacha Stadium on Sunday ended Doma United’s perfect start to the campaign. The newly promoted side had won their opening three matches, collecting nine points without conceding a goal.
For Kano Pillars, the victory was an important response after their opening two league matches produced a 2-2 draw against Kwara United and a 3-2 win over Niger Tornadoes.
Kano Pillars took control early and broke the deadlock through Abdullahi Musa.
Rabiu Ali then had an opportunity to double the advantage from the penalty spot after Ahmed Musa was fouled inside the box, but the experienced midfielder sent his effort over the crossbar.
Ali quickly recovered from the miss, however, scoring Pillars’ second goal in the 33rd minute to give the hosts a 2-0 lead at the interval.
Doma United came out with a stronger response after half-time and pulled a goal back through Sadiq Rilwan in the 53rd minute.
The goal increased the pressure on the home side and briefly gave Doma United hope of completing another comeback.
Kano Pillars, however, responded strongly, Ahmed Musa restored their two-goal advantage before Nasiru Salihu completed the scoring late in the match, giving Ogunmodede’s team a convincing 4-1 victory.
Speaking after the match, Ogunmodede said Kano Pillars had expected a difficult encounter because of Doma United’s excellent start to the season.
The coach explained that the team’s preparations were helped by the fact that Pillars did not have a fixture the previous weekend, giving them more time to study their opponents and work on their approach.
“We expected a tough game because they had gone three matches unbeaten with nine points and had never conceded, but we prepared very well for them,” Ogunmodede said.
He added that Doma United still made the match difficult despite the preparations, Ogunmodede’s comments highlight how seriously Kano Pillars approached a fixture against a side that had quickly established itself as one of the early pace-setters in the NPFL.
The Kano Pillars coach also explained the tactical changes he made after Doma United reduced the deficit, Rather than allowing the visitors to build momentum, Ogunmodede introduced fresh players in midfield and attack.
He said the changes were aimed at preventing Doma United’s centre-backs from carrying the ball forward and helping Pillars regain control of the game.
The decision eventually paid off as Kano Pillars scored twice more to turn the contest into a comfortable victory.
The tactical response was particularly important because Doma United had shown in their opening fixtures that they could defend well and find ways to secure results.
Ahmed Musa was also among the standout performers for Kano Pillars, the former Super Eagles captain scored Pillars’ third goal in the 77th minute to put the hosts 3-1 ahead.
His performance earned him the SWAN Man of the Match award, with his pace and movement causing problems for the Doma United defence. It was also his first goal in two appearances for the club this season.
Musa’s contribution adds another positive for Ogunmodede as Kano Pillars continue to build their campaign, the experienced forward remains an important figure for the club, both on and off the pitch.
Despite the heavy defeat, Doma United remain one of the early teams to watch following their impressive opening three matches, before Sunday’s trip to Kano, Deji Ayeni’s side had defeated Sporting Lagos 2-0, Inter Lagos 1-0 and Enyimba 2-0.
Those results had put them at the top of the table with nine points and five goals scored without conceding, their unbeaten run has now ended, but the defeat does not erase the strong start they made after earning promotion to the NPFL.
For Kano Pillars, the result provides another boost as Ogunmodede continues to establish his methods at the club, Kano Pillars will now look to build on the victory when they travel to Lagos for their next league assignment.
The Sai Masu Gida are scheduled to face Inter Lagos at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Wednesday, September 23, after scoring four goals against Doma United, Ogunmodede will hope his players can maintain the same level of confidence and concentration in their next fixture.
The challenge will be to turn Sunday’s impressive performance into consistent results as the season develops, for now, Kano Pillars can take plenty of encouragement from a victory that combined effective preparation, tactical adjustments and strong individual performances.
