A solitary strike off the foot of AyindeTaiye was all team Ilorin needed to beat Abuja to the Airtel Rising Stars Season 4 National Championship title in a keenly contested final match decided at the Yabatech Sports Complex, Lagos on Saturday.

The game was a clear departure from the goalless contest between the two teams when they met in the round robin match played on Wednesday.

Abuja had started the match on a brighter note with well-coordinated forays into the Ilorin area forcing in the process a fierce save from goal keeper RidwanAdeleke.

Their hope was however cut short when Ilorin maximized a quick counter to shoot into the lead through AyindeTaiye in the nineth minute of play. The score line remained unchanged despite several attempts by Abuja to restore parity. Indeed, they came close when a shot hit the top bar but bounced off the line in what would have been an equaliser.

In the female final match, Port Harcourt defeated Lagos 4-2 via penalties after the match ended goalless at full-time.

The girls from the Garden City had fought very sternly to defend the cup it has now won four times in a row since inception in 2011.

The two champions would represent Nigeria at the week-long Africa Championship to be hosted by Gabon in the last week of this month.

The ARS U-17 tournament, a pan-African initiative of Airtel Africa, is designed to provide support for the development of football talents across Nigeria. It aims at discovering talented male and female footballers under the age of 17 and providing them with platform to gain football skills and develop into professional footballers.

The tournament enjoys the support of football bodies such as Lagos State Football Association (LSFA), Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) and Arsenal Football Club.