Ten-man Kwara United held defending champions, Remo Stars to a 1-1 draw in the opening game of the ValueJet Cup at Ikenne on Friday.

A pulsating game between both side saw Remo Stars dominated possession as Kwara United were struggling to stamp their feet on the game.

History repeated itself again when Muritala Dagbo was shown a red card as in the 14th minute after a hard tackle on Sikiru Alimi as Kwara United became the first team to pick a red card like they did in the first edition.

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Despite playing with a man down, Kwara United took the lead three minutes to the end of the first half through Ikenna Offor from Musa Abdulafeez ‘s cross.

Alimi Sikiru rescued the point for Remo Stars in the 57th minute with a strike inside the box as both teams shared the points.

Meanwhile, Kwara United defender Musa Afeez was named Man of the Match and received a cash prize of $100,000.

Recall that the tournament’s organisers signed a partnership/sponsorship agreement with Optimus Bank for the preseason event, which included funding the Man of the Match award with a cash incentive for each winner.