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Paulinus Okon Vows To Do More As Akwa United Chase NPFL Promotion

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Akwa United FC midfielder Paulinus Okon has promised to give even more as the Promise Keepers push for promotion back to the Nigeria Premier Football League.

Okon made the pledge after a man-of-the-match winning performance, scoring twice in Akwa United’s 2-0 victory over First Bank in a Nigeria National League matchday 12 fixture at the Uyo Township Stadium on Sunday, March 1.

Speaking after the game, the University of Uyo First Class graduate of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering expressed his delight at seeing his hard work pay off.

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“I feel grateful. The hard work, the mentality, the efforts, today you can see the result. It has paid off,” Paulinus Okon said.

The midfielder also praised head coach Paul Offor for helping him improve his game since joining the club.

Coach Paul Offor and Paulinus OkonCoach Paul Offor and Paulinus Okon
Coach Paul Offor and Paulinus Okon

“I want to thank Coach Paul Offor for continuously pushing me. I was not like this when I came to Akwa United, but he has been telling me to do more and today it’s showing.”

On the team’s ambition to return to the NPFL, Paulinus Okon made his target clear.

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“I want to put in all the effort to ensure this team returns to the NPFL,” he stated.

Despite playing as a midfielder, Okon is now Akwa United’s leading scorer this season with four goals. He opened his account against First Bank in Lagos in December, added another goal against Stormers in January, and grabbed a brace again against First Bank on Sunday.

“I want to score as many goals as possible to ensure this team succeeds. I am ready to do whatever is legitimate. The effort in training and off it, I want to put in more to ensure Akwa United returns to the NPFL,” he added.

Paulinus Okon also spoke about how he combined football with his studies to graduate with a First Class degree.

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“Nothing on earth is impossible as long as you put your mind to it. What you need to do is to tell the universe, this is what I want to achieve. Before gaining admission into the university, I was in an academy and I said I wanted to succeed in football and also in my education. Thanks be to God that I graduated with a First Class degree and today I am growing in my football career.”

It was also a special afternoon for Paulinus Okon off the pitch, as his mother and siblings watched him from the stands. After he was presented with the Ibom Air/Akwa United Man-of-the-Match award, his family joined him on the pitch to celebrate the memorable performance.

Paulinus Okon and Family Paulinus Okon and Family
Paulinus Okon and Family

Akwa United’s win extended their lead at the top of the NNL Conference B standings to four points.

The Promise Keepers will next travel to face Osun United in a matchday 13 fixture this weekend as they continue their push for promotion back to the NPFL.

READ MORE:Paul Offor Sends Message to Akwa United Fans After Victory Over First Bank
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Hardik Pandya Grilled By Ex KKR Star: “When Was Your Last Match-Winning Knock?”

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Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya hasn’t had much going his way in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. While MI are languishing at the bottom of the 10-team points table, Hardik hasn’t been able to create much impact on the field, be it with the bat or with the ball. The all-rounder has even had his captaincy skills questioned, including his inability to get the best out of Jasprit Bumrah, the finest fast bowler in the world. Ahead of MI’s clash against GT, former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Aakash Chopra has asked Hardik when his last match-winning knock was for MI.

Hardik, widely considered as India’s most prominent pace-bowling all-rounder, has struggled this season. He has only scored 81 runs in 4 matches this campaign for Mumbai. Chopra, in a video on his YouTube channel, has asked some tough questions to the MI skipper.

“You have corrected the batting order now. I won’t talk about Surya because he played many match-winning knocks last time, but Hardik, I don’t remember when the last match-winning knock you played was. We have seen many good cameos, but that match-winning 70 or 80 runs where you win the match alone, Hardik is capable of that,” Chopra said.

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The former India opener also feels Mumbai need some fresh ideas to bring their campaign back on track. Chopra backed the promotion of Sherfane Rutherford to help MI overcome the current middle-order crisis.

“If you get less than that repeatedly, you think this is the time when Hardik does what he can do, because you are capable of doing that. They need fresh ideas and freshness, a little fearless approach, and Sherfane Rutherford should bat slightly up the order. All of that is required because the truth is that the five-time champions, the Mumbai Indians, are at No. 10 at this point in time,” he added.

At present, MI are placed 10th in the points table with just one win in 5 matches.


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Liv Morgan addresses Dominik Mysterio after his loss at WrestleMania 42

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Liv Morgan has addressed Dominik Mysterio’s loss to Finn Balor at WrestleMania 42. While Morgan was victorious against Stephanie Vaquer in Night 1, his Daddy Dom failed to beat Demon Finn.

The reigning AAA Mega Champion appeared confident ahead of his Street Fight against his former Judgment Day stablemate. However, The Demon had a different aura and energy that got Dirty Dom scrambling at the start.

Dominik Mysterio had several chances of getting the win over Finn Balor, but The Demon was on another level on Sunday night. He hit a devastating Shotgun Dropkick to Dominik while a chair was around his neck before putting him away with a Coup de Grace through a table.

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In a post on Instagram, Liv Morgan seemingly doesn’t care about the outcome of Dirty Dom’s match.

“Always a winner in my eyes 🫶✨ @dominik_35,” Morgan wrote.

It will be interesting to see what’s next for Dominik and Liv for Monday’s post-WrestleMania episode of Raw. Liv is expected to celebrate her championship win, but Dominik and JD McDonagh were unsuccessful in their respective WrestleMania matches.

McDonagh failed to capture the Intercontinental Championship in the Six-Pack Ladder Match on Sunday.


Why did WWE make Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor match a Street Fight?

The initial match between Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor at WrestleMania 42 was just a singles match. A week later, WWE announced that Balor will be using The Demon in the match, marking the return of his alter ego after nearly three years.

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Fast forward to Sunday, and WWE made another change to the match, making it a Street Fight. According to Fightful Select, the company decided to add a stipulation due to the number of singles matches on the card.

“Fightful Select has learned that the street fight stipulation was added to Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio within the last week due to the number of singles matches on the Wrestlemania 42 card,” the report said.

There were six matches on Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, five of which were one-on-one matches. Three of the five were title matches, while the opener was Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi, so adding a stipulation to a heated rivalry like Dominik vs. Finn wasn’t too complicated to make.