NPFL: Five things we saw as wasteful Sporting ruthlessly FLATTER Inter in historic 3,725-day derby showdown

• A Historic 10-Year Long Wait: The highly anticipated match was the first official Lagos derby in the NPFL in exactly 3,725 days, dating back to July 2016.

• The Star Performers: New midfielder signing Hadi Haruna completely ran the show from deep midfield, while youth international goalkeeper Harcourt saved a crucial first-half penalty.

• Breaking the Spell: The dominant 3-0 blowout victory saw Coach Jeffrey Buter's Tech Boys successfully record their first-ever victory over Inter Lagos in five attempts.

The noisy streets of Lagos have officially been painted yellow and blue after Sporting Lagos grabbed the ultimate bragging rights in the state following a complete dismantling of their newly promoted rivals Inter Lagos in a frantic football match.

While the scoreboard read a regular 3-0 demolition in favour of the Tech Boys, this game was anything but normal. 

It was a chaotic, beautiful, and historic afternoon of football at the Onikan Stadium. From incredible penalty drama to a 10-year-old curse being broken, here are five shocking things you absolutely missed from the explosive Matchday 3 encounter in the Euromatch NPFL.

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Do you know how long Lagosians have waited to see a real, local NPFL derby? Exactly 3,725 long days! The last time two Lagos teams clashed in the top tier was all the way back on July 3, 2016, when MFM FC beat Ikorodu United 3-1.

We were supposed to have this fun match earlier in week two against Ikorodu City, but government and political reasons forced the league to push that game to September 30. Thankfully, the long, painful wait was worth every single second!

Don't let the 3-0 scoreline fool you; Inter Lagos actually got off very easily! Coach Jeff Buter’s boys completely dominated the pitch from the first whistle to the last.

However, the Tech Boys were unbelievably wasteful in front of goal. They created beautiful chances but kept missing easy sitters in both halves. 

If Sporting, who are back in the NPFL after two years, had their shooting boots fully on, this match could have easily ended 6-0 or 7-0!

Every single eye at the Onikan Stadium was glued to one man: Hadi Haruna. Sporting Lagos spent big money to snatch the talented midfielder from their neighbours Remo Stars, and he showed exactly why he is worth every single Kobo.

Haruna had earlier stated that he is a "fun and special" player, and he truly walked the talk on the pitch. 

Operating from a deep midfield role, he controlled the entire game like a PlayStation controller. Inter Lagos players simply couldn't get close to him!

Young goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt reminded everyone why Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle is seriously tracking him for the national team. 

With Sporting leading 1-0 in the first half, Harcourt made a clumsy mistake and gave away a cheap penalty to Inter Lagos.

But instead of panicking, the youth international stood tall like a giant wall. He leaped like a cat to save the penalty, keeping his side ahead! 

In the second half, he made no fewer than three more world-class, point-blank saves to deny Inter any hope of a comeback, securing a well-deserved first clean sheet of the season.

Heading into this derby, Inter Lagos fans were talking very loudly on social media because they held an unbeaten record against Sporting, with three wins and a draw in their last four meetings.

Well, that annoying jinx is officially dead and buried. Sporting Lagos chose the biggest stage possible to crush the curse and prove who the real bosses of Lagos are.

Lagosians do not play when it comes to showmanship! While the stadium was not packed to full capacity, the fans who showed up came dressed to impress. 

It looked more like a fashion runway than a football stadium, with beautiful people showing off unique streetwear and cultural outfits to celebrate the historic match.

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The road ahead looks extremely scary for Inter Lagos. They have now lost all three opening games in their first-ever NPFL season and must now travel to Aba to face a very angry and wounded Enyimba FC side.

Meanwhile, a happy Sporting Lagos side will stay comfortably at the Onikan Stadium to host Enyimba's neighbours, Abia Warriors, in what promises to be another mouth-watering home fixture.