Nigerian Football
Nasarawa Goalkeeper Set to Extend Clean Sheets in Rivers United Clash
BY ADAMS JESSE
When action resumes in the Nigerian Premier League this weekend, Nasarawa United’s goalkeeper, Suraj Ayeleso, will be attempting to extend his clean sheets to nine.
In the first phase of the league, he had eight clean sheets, a performance that projects him as the most consistent in the league.
If he manages not to concede a goal, he would have extended his clean sheets to nine. Can he do that?
He told www.nasarawasportgist.wordpress.com that he is set again to prevent picking of the ball from his net.
“We all know that Rivers United are a very compact team with great team but have recently found it hard to score goals this season.
“Though they still remain the most active club side in Nigeria fighting for trophies on three fronts, with our current squad, I am very positive we will get the job done. I can assure you that it is not going to be an easy task though” Ayeleso remarked.
Even though the host team is having a continental campaign, it has been having a poor run in the domestic scene. Nasarawa United are therefore hoping to compound the domestic woes.
Rivers United have not been in the best of forms lately. Last Sunday’s 3-1 loss away to Club Africain in the Confederation Cup was the third straight loss by the struggling side.
But having acquired some of the best legs in the league, Rivers United will be looking forward to a decent second round starting with the game against Nasarawa United.
Their captain, Festus Austin told www.nasarawasportgist.wordpress.com after their week 19 encounter with Nasarawa United in Lafia, that his side’s poor domestic form was due to fatigue and that the club will peak in the second phase of the league.
Nasarawa United will head into this tie full of confidence having defeated Rivers United 1-0 in Lafia with Adamu Hassan’s solitary strike proving enough to hand the three points to the solid miners. That put Nasarawa in the ninth position in a log of 20 teams.
No injury worries for Nasarawa United with only Thomas Zenke missing out due to illness but former Rangers’ front man; Ocheme Edoh will be primed to make his official debut for the solid miners against the pride of Rivers.
Also Ifeanyi Nweke and Esosa Igbinoba will be coming up against a team they both defended its colours last season.
Rivers United currently occupies the 13th position on the NPFL log having accumulated a total of 24 points from 19 games while Nasarawa United occupies the ninth position with 27 points from same number of games.
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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