Nigerian Football
Riot as Akwa United Crumble Pillars in Kano
BY MFON PATRICK.
It was one of the most dramatic score line of the season, it also turned bloody as Akwa United beat the fanatically supported Kano Pillars in their Kano fortress.
It was Christian Pyagbara’s 19th minute goal that shaped the score line, giving Paul Bassey’s Akwa United its first away win of the season.
A brilliant exchange of passes by Aremu Afeez and Ifeanyi Ifeanyi following a counter attack by the Akwa United was perfectly received by Alhassan Ibrahim who neatly assisted Pyagbara to score the only goal of the match.
The bulldozer striker was one of the three changes Coach Maikaba made to the starting line up from the team that beat Shooting Stars in Uyo on match day 17 and he quickly made his impact felt in the 19th minute with what was his second goal of the season, silencing the capacity crowd at the Sani Abacha Stadium.
The Promise Keepers dominated play in the midfield as Ifeanyi, Aremu, and Alhassan detected the pace of the game and simply outclassed their host throughout the duration of the game.
Ubong Friday and Ifeanyi Ifeanyi could have doubled their team’s lead in the 23th and 27th minute but their efforts were off target.
A superior performance by Coach Maikaba boys forced Kano Pillars to effect their first substation in the 27th with Nazifi Yahaya replaced by Adamu Muhammad.
The home team had their first real chance to score in the 30th minute but Kabiru Balogun’s shot narrowly missed the target as Akwa United went into the break with a 0-1 lead.
The two teams resumed the second stanza of the game with high hopes, but it was Akwa United that picked up from where they left off, settling in nicely and frustrating all the attacking moves of their hosts.
Goal scorer Christian Pyagbara was a thorn in the flesh for Chinedu Udoji in the heart of Kano Pillars defence. Amaechi Orji and Paterne Counou gave good account of themselves in the left wing and Ubong Friday and Kodjo Dadzie were terrorising Pillars defence at will.
And on the other end, Godspower Igudia and Ariwachukwu Emmanuel formed solid partnership, winning all aerial battles and marshalling a watertight defence.
The home team threw in Bala Zakka and Amos Gyang to replaced Victor Dennis and Ibrahim Ahassan but their introduction amounted to nothing as goalkeeper Emmanuel Iwu was in his right element to deny all of Pillars late charge.
Coach Maikaba made three tactical changes in an attempt to defend his team’s lead. Musa Newman, Gideon Julius and Chigozie Chilekwu were introduced in the second half as replacement for Ubong Friday, Amaechi Orji and Christian Pyagbara respectively.
Referee Omowaiye Segun from Lagos and his assistants were fair and firm in their decisions despite persistent pressure and shouts from the fans who threw missiles into the pitch towards the end of the match. But Akwa United held on to what was their first win against Pillars in Kano and their first away winning of the season.
The defeat was the second home match in a row in which Pillars failed to win and their second defeat in three games, thereby condemning Masu Gida to 11th position on the NPFL table.
The victory moved Akwa United to fifth position on the NPFL table with 26 points from 18 matches and they will next engage Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries MFM of Lagos in Uyo in the last match of the first stanza of the league.
There was however a bitter end to the match. Violence erupted after the final whistle. Players and officials were on the receiving end as angry home fans unleashed missiles unto the pitch denying the players and officials access to the dressing room.
One of the match officials slumped after he was hit on the chest, Akwa United’s goalkeeper trainer Moses Effiong (MON) was hit in the head and two defenders Ofem Inah and Kodjoiv Dadzie were seriously beaten up in the tunnel leading to the dressing room.
Akwa United’s team bus was an object of attack as it was stoned while driving out of the stadium thus forcing the team to seek solace outside the city of Kano.
Nigerian Football
GTI enlarges coast…spreads from League fund-raising to Federation Cup
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Strategic partners of the Nigeria Football Federation, GTI Asset Management and Trust Ltd has expanded their scope of operations from fund sourcing for the Nigeria Premier League to adding the responsibility of getting the national cup competition back into its glamorous days.
The MD of the company, Abubakar Lawal at the unveiling a revamped Federation Cup which has been renamed President Federation Cup remarked that his company decided to take a bold step to support the national cup.
“I am the happiest man today, he said in the opening remark of the rebranding of the national cup through signing of Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Sports and the NFF.
“Our company is also strategically involved in ensuring that the President Federation Cup is given necessary attention to thrive using The Nigeria Football Fund (TNFF) as our vehicle to actualise this dream.
“Therefore, it is our vision that the oldest domestic football event becomes one of the best organised football events in the world in no distant future.”
Nigerian Football
Ikenne’s Beyond Limit Football Academy top goal chart as NNL releases vital statistics
The secretariat of the Nigeria National League has released the match statistics of the four conferences of the 2024 season.
With 198 matches so far played in Conferences A and B, 426 goals were scored, with 125 home wins and 26 away wins, representing 63.1%, & 26% respectively. There were 47 draw matches, representing 23.7% of matches. 299 home goals were scored, and 127 home goals.
Beyond Limit FC scored the highest goals of 33 goals, with Stormers FC and Ekiti United conceeding the least goals of 28 goals. Tradesafe and Solution FC scored the least numbers of goals of 11 goals and Osun conceded the least numbers of goals of 8.
In group C & D, 209 goals have been scored in the 106 so far played, with 70 home wins and 14 won away representing 66. 3% and 13.1% respectively.
Teams drew 31 matches representing 29.2% of the matches played. Wikki Tourists scored the highest numbers of goals, with 23 goals, while EFCC FC conceded the least numbers of goals. They conceded 18 goals. Nasarawa United’s 8 goals conceded made them the team that conceded the lowest numbers of goals, while ABS scored the least number of goals of 5 goals.
Nigerian Football
Heartland back to their homeland as they host Shooting Stars
BY TOSIN OMOJOLA, OWERRI
The uncertainty surrounding our Matchday 31 encounter against Heartland FC of Owerri, has been cleared with the game eventually slated to hold at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, the home ground of the host team
The Nigeria Premier League has given the approval to the stadium after an inspection was carried out on Wednesday afternoon.
The Oluyole Warriors have since arrived the Imo State capital and have settled down ahead of Friday’s clash which will be be shown live on cable television.
Meanwhile, the Technical Adviser of the Ibadan soccer lords, Gbenga Ogunbote, while addressing the players on arrival at their hotel, urged them not to be distracted by the development.
“I want to apologise to you on the change of venue. We got to know about it some hours ago, but be that as it may, I want us to remain focused as and get the desired results we needed”.
In the same vein, the players of the Ibadan soccer lords, said they are not in any way moved by the change of venue, expressing their readiness to get the maximum points, not minding the venue.
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