Amuneke Blames Costly Errors as Heartland Fall 3–1 to Sunshine Stars

Heartland head coach Emmanuel Amuneke has pointed to individual mistakes as the key reason behind his team’s 3–1 defeat to Sunshine Stars in their Nigeria Premier Football League matchday five encounter on Wednesday.

The Naze Millionaires took an early lead through Chukwuma Udoma, but the advantage didn’t last long as Sunshine Stars responded with goals from Bismak Adebayo, Gabriel Adepoju, and Opeoluwa Olufem at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure.

Speaking after the match, Amuneke admitted that Heartland handed the game to their opponents through avoidable errors.

“From the beginning, we went ahead, but unfortunately we conceded goals from mistakes that allowed Sunshine Stars to score two second-half goals,” he said.
“Of course, you cannot take away the efforts of the Sunshine team. They fought, they wanted it, and in football, if you want success, you go for it — and that’s exactly what they did. We have to congratulate them.”

The defeat adds pressure to Heartland’s campaign as they continue searching for consistency early in the season.

Opinion: Heartland Must Learn Fast or Risk Falling Behind

Amuneke’s honesty is refreshing, but it also highlights a pattern Heartland must urgently fix: self-inflicted damage. It’s one thing to be outplayed; it’s another to lose because of errors that could have been avoided.

Heartland showed promise by scoring first, but football doesn’t reward good beginnings—it rewards complete performances. Sunshine Stars didn’t do anything extraordinary; they simply punished every slip and played with a hunger Heartland failed to match for the full 90 minutes.

If the Naze Millionaires hope to climb the table, the message is clear:
cut out the mistakes, stay switched on, and match the opponent’s intensity from start to finish.

The talent is there — but without discipline, matches like this will keep slipping away.