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KANO PILLARS PICK SUPER 6 TICKET AS RELEGATION BATTLE GOES TO THE WIRE
BY FISAYO DAIRO
The 2014 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions Kano Pillars on Monday confirmed their place in the season-ending Super Six playoff with an emphatic 3-0 drubbing of Delta Force in Kano in one of the full programme of activities on the penultimate Match Day of 2018/19 regular season.
Although many other matters in the league were left unresolved until the final
day, Kano Pillars’ confirmation of a top three finish and Niger Tornadoes’
relegation in Group A were settled on a day of twist-and-turns in results
across the twelve match centres.
The ageless Rabiu Ali set Pillars en route to a routine victory with a 19th
minute penalty before further goals in the second half from Auwalu Ali Malam
and Yusuf Maigoro put Mbwas Mangut’s side to the sword and all but put paid to
their late rally for a playoff spot.
In Maiduguri, FC Ifeanyiubah put themselves in pole position to join Pillars
and already qualified Akwa United as Group B’s representatives with a superb
1-0 win away to El-Kanemi Warriors in a game played behind closed doors.
Striker Chibuike Ezeh scored for a second game in a row to take
the Anambra Warriors to just within a point of sealing a Top Three spot.
Monday’s trend of results ensured that only Yobe Desert Stars are condemned to
the second tier in Group B after Gombe United, Plateau United and Go Round FC
all secured results in their games, the latter denied by a last gasp goal at
Nasarawa United.
Left winger Yusuf Abdulazeez’s strike in the 72nd minute gave Gombe United a
1-0 win over Heartland at the Pantami Stadium and Ladan Bosso’s men are now
within one point of their visitors going into the final day while Plateau
United climbed out of the relegation zone with a comfortable 2-0 win over
ten-man Yobe Desert Stars courtesy of Amos Gyang (penalty) and Godwin Obaje’s
goals in each half.
Go Round FC were just seconds away from achieving the best result of the Match
Day but Abubakar Lawal’s 90th minute goal ensured honours were shared among
both sides in a 2-2 draw. Joshua Osem and Chiebonam Nwogbaga gave Go Round the
lead twice in the game but twice were they pegged back through goals by Sunusi
Ibrahim and Lawal.
Group leaders Akwa United also left it late to deny Abia Warriors a safety net
when Ocheme Edoh headed home in the 89th minute to secure a 2-2 draw for the
hosts at the Nest of Champions.
Midfielder Fatai Abdullahi and substitute Obi Samson twice gave
Warriors shock leads in Uyo but Rafael Everton’s men replied in each situation
with goals from Godspower Aniefiok and Edoh.
Group A
Striker Sikiru Alimi was once again instrumental for ‘nominal’ league champions
Lobi Stars as they endured a hard-earned 2-1 win over relegation haunted Wikki
Tourists in Makurdi.
Lobi needed maximum points to move within touching distance of qualification
for the Super Six and they did just exactly that, once again through the help
of Alimi.
They had to break the resistance of a stubborn Wikki side in the
49th minute through Austin Ogunye’s header but after Ukeme Williams had replied
for Aliyu Zubair’s Wikki, Alimi once again delivered the goods with an 81st
minute winner.
Ten-man Enyimba FC also moved within touching distance of qualification with a
2-0 win over Niger Tornadoes at the Enyimba Stadium in Aba, a result which
confirmed the demotion of their opponents to the second tier of Nigerian
football.
Captain Ifeanyi Anaemena gave the hosts the lead from the penalty spot in first
half stoppage time before Ibrahim Mustapha, making a return after a lengthy
injury layoff made sure of the points in the 70th minute.
Left back Nasiru Sani was however sent off late in the game by referee Paul Umuago.
In Lagos, MFM FC showed a rare resilience they had not displayed in recent weeks when they dug deep to beat Katsina United 2-1 and ensure the race for the final two top three spots in Group A will go down to the wire.
Fidelis Ilechukwu’s men defied the rain and obstinacy of their visitors to grind out the win at the Agege Stadium.
Adeniji Kabir ended his goals drought to steer them in front in the 10th minute but defender Timothy Danladi equalised for Katsina early in the second half.
Substitute Michael Ohanu however claimed the full marks for MFM
when he headed home Jonathan Zikiye’s cross deep into stoppage time.
Group A leaders Rangers International ended Rivers United’s hopes of a hopeful
top three finish with an excruciating 1-0 defeat inflicted on Stanley Eguma’s
men.
United still kept their hopes of leaving Enugu with at least a
point in tact until wing back Chidera Ezeh struck the decisive blow five
minutes from time.
Kwara United ensured they preserve their Nigeria Professional Football League
(NPFL) status till the final day with an expected 2-1 win over already
relegated Remo Stars.
All goals were scored in the final sixteen minutes of the tensed
game in Ilorin. Uche Onwuasonaya and Razaq Alamoyo put United two-goal up
before Victor Mbaoma’s stoppage time strike halved the deficit.
Bendel Insurance also stayed alive with a 1-0 win over ten-man Sunshine Stars
in a relegation six-pointer in Benin City.
Despite putting up a defensive 5-3-2 shape, Kabiru Dogo’s Sunshine conceded within the opening four minutes through Junior Osaghae’s strike and they had no reply with their case exacerbated with a straight sending off for centre back Gabriel Olalekan late on.
UEFA appears poised for an emergency vote on suspending Israel from European competition next week, with national federations scrambling to position themselves amid mounting political pressure following calls for action.
The brewing crisis intensified this week when United Nations experts called for Israel’s suspension from international football amid the unfolding genocide in occupied Palestinian territory.
A source confirmed that Europe’s soccer body could potentially decide next week to vote on whether to suspend Israel from European competition.
Should UEFA vote to ban Israel, it would put the organisation on a collision course with the government of the United States — co-hosts for the 2026 World Cup — which is vehemently against such a motion.
“We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup,” a spokesperson for the U.S. state department told Sky News.
But even though UEFA has the power to suspend Israel or its clubs from their competitions, it may not be able to stop them from competing in World Cup qualifiers, which fall under the ambit of global soccer body FIFA.
The general secretaries of all UEFA national associations are meeting this week in Marbella, where Israel is not officially on the agenda, but officials expect UEFA to call an emergency vote next week.
FIFA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment while UEFA declined to comment.
Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub said Israelis should not be allowed to participate in any matches, whether they are under UEFA or FIFA.
“Israel has violated the principles, values and FIFA’s statutes. Therefore, I believe that Israel should be sanctioned,” Rajoub told TV2.
“The sanctions should come from UEFA and FIFA.”
WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Israel’s national team are set to face Norway and Italy, the top two teams in their World Cup qualifying group, next month.
“We don’t have any indications that we are facing such an act (UEFA suspension),” a spokesperson for the Israel Football Association told Reuters.
“We are focusing on our international matches against Norway and Italy.”
Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) is one of the member associations that have been the driving force behind calling for a meeting on the Israel situation. The NFF declined to comment.
Lise Klaveness, the president of the NFF and a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, has also been vocal about the crisis in Gaza ahead of her country’s home game against Israel on October 11.
“Neither we nor other organisations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time,” Klaveness said in a statement last month.
“We want to donate the proceeds (from the game) to a humanitarian organisation that saves lives in Gaza every day and provides active emergency aid on the ground.”
The Dutch football federation (KNVB) said it knows nothing about a vote to suspend Israel.
“As soon as the football association receives a message about this, it will take a position,” the KNVB told Dutch outlet NOS.
Last week, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel should be banned from international sports competitions. However, officials from the Spanish FA (RFEF) have kept a low profile on the matter.
Israel maintains that its war is not against the population of Gaza but against the Hamas militant group whose fighters led the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and precipitated the war.
The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 65,000 people, according to local health officials.
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A hat-trick from George Agha and a sublime free-kick goal from David Edeh ensured a comfortable start for five-time world champions Nigeria in the WAFU-B U17 Championship, as the Golden Eaglets routed Baby Cheetahs of Benin Republic 4 -1 in Yamoussoukro on Wednesday.
Agha converted from the spot three minutes into the game after Boluwatife Thompson was hacked inside the box.
Edeh displayed fantastic football artistry to score from a free-kick in the 5th minute of the encounter.
The Eaglets were in cruise control as Agha bagged his brace in the 14th minute. The charges of Manu Garba were very dominant with a three-goal advantage.
Warris Soumanou in goal for Benin Republic was caught napping and his error of judgement gave the Eaglets another goal after a beautiful exchange of passes and dribbles between Thompson and Edeh, which set up Agha for his hat-trick in the 32nd minute.
It was raining goals and it was the turn of the Beninoise in the 45th minute, as a low drive from Jeremy Zannou gave the Baby Cheetahs a consolation goal.
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Mohamed Salah’s dramatic stoppage-time penalty ensured Liverpool maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory at promoted side Burnley on Sunday.
With British record signing Alexander Isak forced to wait for his Liverpool debut having been left out the squad for the trip to Lancashire, the champions struggled to break down a dogged home side in the first half.
After a regroup at the break, the visitors upped the ante in the second half, with Dominik Szoboszlai finally forcing a fine save from Martin Dubravka in the Burnley goal.
Burnley were holding on for a well-earned point with ease, before the ball agonisingly struck substitute Hannibal Mejbri’s arm in the penalty area and Salah slotted the spot kick into the net in the 95th minute to break home hearts.
Liverpool are still to really get going this season, requiring a winner in the last 10 minutes of all four of their league victories so far. The goal that clinched an undeserved success at Turf Moor was certainly the most fortunate.
After one of the longest transfer sagas in Premier League history finally reached its expected conclusion, Liverpool supporters were forced to wait two weeks for their first glimpse of their 125-million-pound ($169.45-million) goal machine due to the international break.
While coach Arne Slot said this week that Isak would have to be utilised carefully due to his previous injuries and lack of action so far this season, the Swede was still expected to at least be on the bench at Turf Moor.
The wait goes on as, without their expensive new forward, Liverpool mustered just one shot on target in the first half, from left-back Andrew Robertson.
Burnley, who conceded the fewest goals in English football league history last term to earn them promotion, otherwise frustrated the champions with ease. Even Lesley Ugochukwu’s red card for two bookings in the 84th minute did not seem to fluster them.
Even without Isak, Liverpool still had much attacking talent on the Turf Moor pitch but they just could not find that killer pass.
Salah was especially below par but he made no mistake in the most pressurised moment after Hannibal had stuck up an arm to block Jeremie Frimpong’s cross
The champions’ impressive Premier League goalscoring streak stretches to 38 games nonetheless, their longest such run in the competition.
-Reuters
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