Nigerian Football
Channels Kids Cup Enters Group Stage
Group stage action has commenced the Channels International Kids Cup with Community Primary School, Lagos, Paragon Demonstration School, Edo, Mowoe Primary School, Delta and Jaafaru Primary School from Kaduna recording opening day victories.
But at the Channels Kids cup, no match is played until players are screened. And after a thorough filtering process, without kicking a ball, some players waved goodbye to the competition.
Group A action got proceedings underway with Community Primary School from Lagos taking on Islamic Government Primary School, Modakeke, Osun State.
The boys from Osun took control of the game from the blast of the whistle. But the boys from Lagos managed to survive and the first ended goalless.
When the game resumed, Islamic Government Primary School continued where they stopped in the first half.
They controlled the game but couldn’t get the ball into the net. With 10 minutes to stoppage time, the boys from Abule-Egba stunned the crowd.
Idris Azeez stole the ball from the Osun defence and produced a fine finish to give Community Primary School a 1-0 victory. The boys from Osun were taught a hard lesson of converting chances when created.
But in the other Group B match, the second Lagos representative, X-Planter Primary School, Ikorodu didn’t have it so good against Paragon Demonstration School from Edo state.
Orobosa Aghahowa scored a stunning goal to give Edo state a well deserved victory.
In Group B, defending champions Kaduna, represented by Jafaaru Primary School and Buhanarudeen from Kwara showed class.
The boys from Kaduna thrashed World Book Model School from Rivers State 3-1 while Kwara swept aside St. Augustine Catholic School from Ekiti 3-1.
In Group C, Ghanaian school, Abeka 4 Basic School played a goalless draw with African Church Primary School from Ogun State.
The boys from Islamiya Primary School, Kogi took the advantage to top the table after beating Turaki Model School from Sokoto 2-0. Julius Bukie and Nasiru Abdulmajid scored the goals.
In Group D, the boys from Delta state needed just 10 minutes to seal an opening day win against Saint Louis De Seme from Benin Republic
In the second Group D match, Waziri Primary School from Niger State and Community Primary School from Imo State gave all they had but couldn’t put the ball into the net.
After day one action, the foreign teams are yet to win and with 13 goals scored, day two will definitely bring stiffer competition.
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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