Nigerian Football

YOBO, OGUFERE, SWAN CHIEF COMMEND SUPER EAGLES

Published

7 years ago

October 10, 2017

BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.

Former Nigeria’s captain has on his verified twitter handle praised the current class of Super Eagles for picking a World Cup ticket. The former skipper who is the first Nigerian footballer to clock 100 international caps joins legion of Nigerians who have been sending congratulatory messages since Saturday.

He twitted: “Congratulations again guys. Going to the World Cup is dream stuff. Y’all are going to do better than us!”

Also, Chief Jonathan Ogufere, a former WAFU president and current leader of the Nigerian Sports Veterans Association also extended his felicitation to the Super Eagles and commended the NFF leadership for a good service delivery.

He asked the NFF to immediately commence preparations as there are still greater tasks ahead. He asked the NFF to set a semi final target for the Nigeria as three other African countries had in the past reached the quarter final stage.

They are Cameroon at Italia ’90, Senegal at Korea/Japan 2002 and Ghana at South Africa 2010. Similarly, Honour Sirawoo, the Sports Writers’ Association of Nigeria (SWAN) chief also congratulated the Super Eagles, the NFF and the Federal Government for the World Cup ticket.

Sirawoo commended the players for their doggedness and determination to hoist Nigeria’s flag at the Mundial.

He also lauded the Federal Government, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki; Federal Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, Akwa Ibom State Government, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, sports writers and Nigerians for their belief in the Super Eagles.

While urging the Federal Government to monitor strictly the team’s preparation for the World Cup in Russia, the SWAN boss however, called for immediate commencement of processes, saying the country has the players to make appreciable impact if well harnessed and prepared for the task ahead.

Nigerian Football

Behold! Nigeria Football’s October 8 Magic

Published

8 hours ago

October 8, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Nigeria’s Godwin Iwelumo terrorising Egypt’s goalmouth 47 years ago in an October 8 match. Nigeria won 4-0 inflicting the worst ever defeat on Egypt in a World Cup qualifier.

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.

The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.

That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.

Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.

The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.

Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.

Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.

Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.

Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!

Nigeria on 8 October

1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.

Nigerian Football

Rivers flow to the top!

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.

It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.

Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85^th minute.

Sunday Results