Nigerian Football
Rivers Hope To Win Without Eguma
BY SAMMY WEJINYA.
This is the most trying period in the history of Rivers United FC. Technical manager, Stanley Eguma, is currently serving a one-match suspension while results on the pitch have been far from positive.
The ‘Pride of Rivers’ have yet to win in their last four games in all competitions and the alarm bells are well and truly ringing.
On Sunday, stars of the Port Harcourt club will attempt to hit positive notes when they file out against Gombe United at the Pantami Stadium, Gombe as the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) enters match day 17.
Draws away from home are usually celebrated in the NPFL but the boys from Port Harcourt know that a point on Sunday may not be enough to assuage the smitten emotions of the teeming faithful.
Head coach of Rivers United, Willy Udube, knows this well and acknowledges that while a win in Gombe would be extremely difficult, it is a possibility his charges will be looking to exploit.
“The technical manager (Eguma) was given a one-match suspension but we have been able to steady (the ship) by making the players understand that (such things) can always happen in football.
“It has happened and we have to move on. We want to get all three points (against Gombe United) but football is not mathematics.
“I strongly believe that we will go home with something to make our fans happy.
“As I am talking to you now, the spirit is very very high,” Udube told the club’s official website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
Saying the right things before big games is almost a pre-requisite for trainers but beating Gombe United at the Pantami is easier said than done.
There are no star turns at Gombe United as experienced tactician, Manu Garba, the club’s technical supremo is known to prefer graft over the spectacular.
Alhassan Yusuf, Maurice Chigozie, Akeem Balogun, Isaac Giwa, Bilya Yarma, Idris Bakare, Mannir Ubale and Sadiq Shuaibu are not names that easily roll off the tongue but wily gaffer, Garba has integrated these unheralded talent into an almost impregnable and extremely-cohesive unit.
Garba’s assistant, Hassan Abubakar is ultra-confident in his side’s chances of securing maximum points against last season’s NPFL runners up.
“I know we will win on Sunday because we have prepared very well for this game against Rivers United.
“They may not be doing too well this season but they are a good team with very good players.
“We drew our last game away from home against ABS FC so confidence is very high amongst our players,” he said.
The newly-promoted Gombe United will be keen to avoid any slip ups to prevent the drama of a relegation dogfight in the coming days while Rivers United know that defeat is almost non-negotiable.
A compelling and intriguing contest awaits on Sunday.
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
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