Nigerian Football
Dalung Hails D’Tigress, Super Eagles
The Nigerian Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung has praised the senior women’s national basketball team, the D’Tigress for their outstanding performance so far at the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket 2017 currently holding in Bamako, Mali.
D’Tigress thrashed their counterparts from Egypt by 106 points to 72 in the third game of their Group B fixture to become the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Earlier in their opening game, Nigeria out dunked Mozambique by 80 points to 69 and outclassed Democratic Republic of Congo 84-47.
Dalung expressed happiness with the team’s performance so far in the Afrobasket and urged them to get to the finals and win the trophy.
“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari sends his warm greetings to you as you know he just arrived from medical vacation yesterday.
“On behalf of sports loving Nigerians, I bring you goodwill and best wishes from Nigeria. We have been following your progress in the Afrobasket 2017 which is the equivalent of the Africa Cup Nations in football and we are highly impressed by the victories recorded in your three consecutive games.
“The Federal Government will stand by you to ensure that you get all the support needed to bring back the Afrobasket trophy.”
He urged them to maintain their focus ahead of the last two games in the group stages and seize the opportunity to perfect their plans heading into the quarter finals.
“Having qualified, tactically speaking, it will be wise for the coaches to give some of the fringe players a run to get them in top shape for the challenges ahead of the elimination stages.”
The minister prayed for an incident and injury free Afrobasket campaign while reiterating the need to remain focused and determined in their quest to win their third title.
“Continue to play as a unit and in love like one family and by God’s grace, you’ll achieve success in your outing in Mali.”
In a related development, the minister also hailed the Super Eagles Team B who defeated the Squirrels of Benin Republic 2-0 in second leg of the African Nations Championship qualifying match played at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano on Saturday.
Dalung who was in Kano to cheer the home based Super Eagles to victory said their qualification once again confirmed the belief that the Nigeria Professional Football League is fast developing and producing budding talents who can form the backbone of the senior national team soon.
The minister said the victory was sweeter because it ensured they got a place in the 2018 Championship billed for Kenya.
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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