Pape Academy FC earned their first point of the NLO 2025/2026 season with a disciplined and hard-fought goalless draw against Bida Lion FC at the Aliyu Ndayako Stadium, Bida.

After the disappointment of the opening-day defeat to Niger Tornadoes Feeder, the academy side showed significant improvement in defensive organisation and collective work rate, keeping a clean sheet in what was a vastly improved performance.

Head Coach Aliyu Mohammed made tactical adjustments from the first match, deploying Chinedu Eze as a holding midfielder to provide additional cover for the defence. The move paid dividends as Pape Academy looked far more solid and compact throughout the 90 minutes.

The first half saw Pape Academy enjoy the better of the possession, with Ismail Kolo pulling the strings in the number 10 role. The young playmaker came close on two occasions — first with a curling effort from the edge of the box that drifted just wide, and then with a clever free-kick that forced a diving save from the Bida Lion goalkeeper.

Bida Lion FC posed their greatest threat on the counter-attack, with their pacy forwards looking to exploit the space behind Pape Academy's full-backs. However, Kabiru Bala and Abdulrahman Yusuf were equal to every challenge at the heart of the defence, winning headers and making crucial interceptions.

In the second half, Pape Academy introduced Danjuma Lawal up front to provide more of a focal point in attack. The striker showed glimpses of his quality with some powerful hold-up play, but clear-cut chances remained at a premium for both sides.

The closest either team came to breaking the deadlock was in the 78th minute when Rilwan Mohammed beat his marker with a burst of pace and delivered a dangerous cross into the box, but Blessing Okoro's header was cleared off the line by a last-ditch Bida Lion defender.

"A point is a point and I'm delighted with the clean sheet," said Coach Aliyu after the match. "The boys showed real character after the defeat in Matchday 1. We defended as a unit and created chances. The goals will come — I have no doubt about that. We move on to the next one with confidence."

Pape Academy FC now have 1 point from two matches and will next face JS FC Suleja in Matchday 3 as they continue their NLO 2025/2026 campaign.