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.
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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