Nigerian Football
At Nigeria league day 8, men are separated from boys!
BY DIEGWU NWANKWOR FOR IMC MEDIA
Plateau United have produced the biggest win in this season of the Nigerian Premier League as theymoved into the championship playoff spots after a comprehensive 5-0 victory over El-Kanemi Warriors.
After pulling a commendable 1-1 draw in Ikenne at the weekend, the Jos side got off to a flying start scoring three goals in the first 30 minutes.
Anthony Sunday scored first in the 4th minute before Eru Jackson (21st minute) and Ibrahim Mustapha (28th minute) took the match beyond the visiting El Kanemi who were poor on the day.
Second-half goals from Tochukwu Udeh (63rd minute) and Uche Onwuansanya (90+2) only heaped more misery on the visitors.
The win saw Plateau United move up to third in Group A, level on points with Remo Stars.
Plateau’s joy of moving into the playoff spots could however depend on the outcome of Akwa United versus Gombe United clash at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in the final fixture of MatchDay 8.
Remo Stars dropped out of the championship playoff spot after playing out a goalless draw with Kwara United. The draw leaves Kwara United one point off the relegation zone on the eighth position with six points.
Enyimba continued their fine run of form with three straight wins after brushing aside underperforming Shooting Stars 2-0 in Aba.
Chukwuemeka Obioma Godson scored a brace first in the 2nd minute before doubling the lead at the stroke of halftime. The defeat leaves Shooting Stars four points off the championship playoff places. With the two goals, Obioma becomes the leading scorer with seven goals from eight games.
Finally in Group A, leaders, Bendel Insurance returned to winning ways after edging Nasarawa United 1-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City. The all-important goal was scored by Ebuka Akubundu in the 67th minute. Insurance is still unbeaten this season.
In Group B, leaders Lobi Stars saw their six-match unbeaten run come to an end after losing 2-1 at Wikki. An early goal by Muhammed Guda (6th minute) gave the home side the lead but Lobi equalized in the 34th minute through Umar Abba. However, it was Wikki who will have the last laugh when Muhammed Guda got his brace in the 38th minute to seal all three points for the Tourists who are now undefeated in their last three matches.
In Gombe, Abia Warriors missed the chance to go top of Group B after a narrow 1-0 loss to Doma United.
After a keenly contested first half, it was Doma who won all three points after Musa Usman scored in the 49th minute. The win lifts Doma to fifth on the table with 12 points while Abia Warriors are still second with 13 points.
Sunshine Stars missed the chance to get into the championship playoff spots after a 2-1 defeat to Dakkada at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
After a goalless first half, it was Dakkarda that took the lead through Emmanuel Ayaosi in the 70th minute but the lead lasted just four minutes with Udom Ekerette leveling for Sunshine.
However, the visitor’s joy was short-lived as Dakkarda made it 2-1 two minutes later with Kareem Abdoulaye scoring the winner for the home side, who remain in the relegation zone, one point behind Wikki Tourists who are in 8th position.
Niger Tornadoes are now two points clear of the relegation zone after playing out a 1-1 draw with Bayelsa United, still sitting at the bottom of Group B.
David Okurumi gave Tornadoes the lead in the 26th minute but Bayelsa United equalized in the 44th minute through Robert Mizo.
Group A Results:
Bendel Insurance 1-0 Nasarawa United
Enyimba 2-0 Shooting Stars
Plateau United 5-0 El Kanemi Warriors
Kwara United 0-0 Remo Stars
Thursday:
Akwa United v Gombe United – 4 pm
Group B:
Niger Tornadoes 1-1 Bayelsa United
Dakkada 2-1 Sunshine Stars
Doma United 1-0 Abia Warriors
Wikki Tourists 2-1 Lobi Stars
Rivers United pp Enugu Rangers
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
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.
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 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON5 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON6 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON5 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!
-
AFCON1 day ago
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode