Nigerian Football
AITEO Cup: Troubled versus Embittered as Shooting Stars Face Akwa United
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Shooting Stars, whose life in the next season is precariously placed on life supporting machine until the abandoned Gombe versus Wikki Tourists match is decided faces another acid test in Nigeria’s national Cup this Wednesday facing an embittered Akwa United whose loss of continental ticket is traceable to the 0-1 loss to Shooting Stars in the penultimate match day of the Nigerian top league.
Shooting Stars will need for survival, all elements of fair play that will see a relegated and consequently nothing at stake Gombe United beating fellow Gombe State team, Wikki Tourists and drag both teams into relegation.
The embittered Akwa United host the troubled Shooting Stars in Uyo in an encounter that the former lords of Nigerian football will be seeking redemption.
It is the Round of 16 of the rebranded Nigerian national cup which is now the AITEO Cup. Akwa United won the national cup two seasons ago while the Shooting last won it in ages past – 22 years ago after a 3-0 defeat of Katsina United in Lagos. The potentially explosive Akwa United versus Shooting Stars encounter is the high point of the Round of 16 in which replay will feature in the home ground of the away teams in the event of ties.
In what is a proper double-header contrary to the misuse of the word in the Nigerian media, the Akwa United versus Shooting Stars will be preceded by another AITEO Cup curtain raiser duel as Akwa Starlets take on Nigeria’s newly crowned league champions, Plateau United. The fans at the sumptuous Godswill Akpabio Stadium will therefore get to watch two matches for the price of one – a double header!
Will the two Akwa State government sponsored teams be lucky enough to get to the quarter finals? Events on Wednesday will offer the answer.
In other matches, Ekiti United are home to Katsina United, while relegated ABS FC will visit Unicem Rovers (conquerors of Enugu Rangers in the Round of 32) in Calabar, and Heartland FC of Owerri, close to NPFL return, will tackle FC IfeanyiUbah in Nnewi.
In the women’s competition, champions Rivers Angels take the pitch against Ben Women at the Yakubu Gown Stadium, as Pelican Stars host FC Robo Queens in Calabar and Nasarawa Amazons are away to Beautiful Tours in Abuja.
AITEO Cup Round of 16 Matches
MEN
FC Abuja Vs Niger Tornadoes – Area 3 Stadium (4pm)
Akwa Starlets Vs Plateau United – Godswill Akpabio Stadium (2pm)
Ngwa FC Vs Sunshine Stars – Abakaliki Township Stadium (4pm)
Osun United Vs El-Kanemi Babes – Oshogbo Township Stadium (4pm)
Unicem Rovers Vs ABS FC – UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar (4pm)
Akwa United Vs Shooting Stars – Godswill Akpabio Stadium (4pm)
Ekiti United Vs Katsina United Feeders – Oluyemi Kayode Stadium (4pm)
FC IfeanyiUbah Vs Heartland FC – Ifeanyi Ubah Stadium (4pm)
WOMEN
Pelican Stars Vs FC Robo Queens – UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar (2pm)
Confluence Queens Vs Sure Babes – Confluence Stadium, Lokoja (4pm)
Bayelsa Queens Feeders Vs Edo Queens – Nembe Stadium (4pm)
Rivers Angels Vs Ben Women FC – Yakubu Gowon Stadium, PH (4pm)
Sunshine Queens Vs Bayelsa Queens – Akure Township Stadium (4pm)
Beautiful Tours Vs Nasarawa Amazons – Area 3 Stadium (2pm)
Jokodolu Babes Vs Abia Angels – Lekan Salami Stadium (4pm)
Osun Babes Vs Ibom Angels – Oshogbo Township Stadium (2pm)
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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