On Sunday, 11 October, the OAU Giants ended their wait for a major football gold medal as they defeated Lead City University (LCU) 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 regular time draw in the men's football final of the 2026 West African University Games (WAUG).  

LCU took the lead around the 79th minute through Eshinlokun Basit but that lead was short-lived after an immediate equalizer from OAU Giants substitute Adebimpe Israel. The victory brought a 12-year wait to an end and gave the host university a befitting conclusion to its campaign at the Games in Ile-Ife. 

Winning gold was quite a sentimental accomplishment for the team's manager, Coach Faleti. Twelve years after captaining OAU to football gold at the 2014 Nigerian University Games (NUGA) where the gaffer was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, he led his side again to the summit of university football in a different capacity. This time, he was responsible for guiding a new generation of OAU players to a title win of their own.

Coach Faleti had this to say after the final. "During NUGA 2014, as a player and as the captain of the side, I won gold and was the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Now, in 2026, as the head coach of OAU Giants, winning gold at the West African University Games, I feel very excited and fullfied".

Although with the advantage of playing on home soil, emerging as winners was in no small way an easy task. The home advantage also came along with an evident pressure from their own fans to deliver. However, he said his task was to keep his players focused on the competition rather than the noise around them. "I motivated them to concentrate on the competition, ignore the noise from outside and not lose focus" he explained.

On the pitch in the final, OAU had the greater attacking threat but converting their opportunities proved to be difficult. This was underscored by thirteen shots and five on target for the hosts compared with three shots and two on target for Lead City as well as the visitors' goalkeeper being forced to make four point black saves to keep his side alive in a physical contest that produced a combined 48 fouls between the teams.

Defender Seun Bello, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, was important to OAU's efforts to win. Wearing the number 40 shirt, the experienced player repeatedly intervened to stop Lead City University attacking moves and helped the hosts withstand the pressure as the final progressed.

Bello credited the team's success to the head coach's preparation and tactical guidance. He revealed that the team had been in training camp for about two months. The defender also pointed to the OAU Giant's technical quality as a decisive factor against the physical approach of their Ghanaian opponents during the preliminary and knock-out stages of the competition. 

His own journey through university football had included the 2024 National University Football Championships organized by Varsity Cup and NUGA in which he represented OAU. Although the team had progressed beyond the group stages before finishing in fourth place having lost 3-1 in the Semifinals, the defender said the experience had contributed to his development. Winning gold at WAUG, he added was therefore a rewarding experience after that earlier disappointment.

For captain Olakunle Daniel Longe who replaced his coach as the first OAU Giants captain to lead the side to a major gold medal since 2014, the prospect of playing a final in front of the home crowd was never a burden. The Computer Engineering student, who is in his fifth year said the team had come into the match prepared for the occasion. He identified the contributions of the coaching staff, the players who featured in the final and those who did not make the matchday squad as important to the achievement. 

The captain also admitted that OAU had hoped to settle the final during normal time rather than rely on penalties. Nevertheless, he said the team remained confident when the shoot-out became necessary despite a largely unsuccessful penalty record in previous years.

"We never expected to play penalties. We wanted to win during normal time but as penalties came, we were determined to rewrite the existing record and we were confident that we were going to win" He said.

After the shoot-out ended 5-4 in OAU's favour, goalkeeper Juwon Falade emerged as a decisive figure having saved one of LCU's attempts to secure the gold medal for the hosts.

The team's captain, Olakunle Daniel and Seun Bello believes their achievement can provide a foundation for future success. Although approaching graduation, they pointed to the undergraduates still within the squad and the prospect of new players joining the team as reasons for optimism. With another NUGA competition ahead, they expressed confidence that OAU would go on to compete for further honours.

Bello, who is approaching the end of his postgraduate studies acknowledged that replacing an experienced player of his calibre would be a challenge but rejected the idea that his absence would leave an unfillable gap. "Football is about people coming and going. I believe another player like me will emerge". He said.

Both players will bow out of university football knowing they've helped put an end to a dry spell. After 12 years, OAU are now back to the top of university football in West Africa having secured a title that will give the next generation of Giants a standard to pursue and an achievement to continually strive to replicate.

By Victor Oluwaseun Olabisi