Nigerian Football
Aiteo Cup: 10 Man Osun United Defeats Sunshine Stars
BY TUNDE SHAMSUDEEN.
Osun United Football Club, on Wednesday evening at the Oshogbo Township Stadium defeated Sunshine Stars, 1-0 in the first leg of Aiteo Cup quarter final contest.
It was a impressive performance put up by the ‘Omoluabi Giants’ after they were reduced to ten men after defender Emmanuel Osigwe, was sent off for receiving a second yellow card in the 35th minute of the keenly contested game.
It was a fight to finish in the Cup tie as both teams matched each other in all areas, but the Oshogbo based team looked sharper in front of goal after Chinedu Emmanuel, missed couple of glorious chances in the first half.
Tosin Omoyele’s 66th minute header from a scramble was all Osun United needed to seal victory over Sunshine Stars.
Osun United fought so hard and defended so well to ensure Sunshine Stars trio Sikiru Alimi, Dayo Ojo and Sasere Franklin from wrecking havoc.
Osun United Coach Bayo Adesina said his wards gave it all and deserved to win the game.
“Sunshine Stars are a good side but Osun United looks better and deserves to win. We played against a more formidable side, more experienced but our halftime pep talk helped a lot.”
Adesina is confident with fair officiating like what Sunshine Stars enjoyed in the first leg, his charges as all it takes to win the second leg in Ijebu Ode on Saturday.
“We’ve a formidable team capable of defeating any team home or away. We have all it takes to win Sunshine Stars in Ijebu Ode. We won’t relent in our efforts, until we get to the desired destination in the Aiteo Cup,” Adesina said.
Sunshine Stars coach, Duke Udi, did not show up for the post-match conference after his side loss as against the tradition of the tournament.
Osun United will battle Sunshine Stars on Saturday at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium, Ijebu Ode for the return leg of Nigeria’s oldest competition.
Other First Leg Quarter Finals Results:
- FC IfeanyiUbah 3-0 ABS
- Niger Tornadoes 2-0 Plateau United
- Akwa United vs Katsina Feeders (PP)
Nigerian Football
Enugu Rangers crumble at home in seven-goal thriller with Kano Pillars
Nigerian champions, Enugu Rangers have been beaten 4-3 by visiting Kano Pillars in the Match Day 7 of the Nigeria Premier Football League.
The visitors went into the lead in 15th minute when Rabiu Ali converted a penalty kick. They doubled the lead in the 28th minute through Zulkifilu Rabiu before Rabiu Ali extended the lead to 3-0 in the 37th minute after converting another penalty kick.
The game turned into a nightmare for Rangers as Ahmed Musa made it 4-0 in the first minute of the added time.
Rangers began a fight back in the opening minutes of the second half as Isaac Saviour pulled a goal back in the 47th minute. Twelve minute later he scored a second goal to reduce the tally to 4-2. Emmanuel Silas Nenrot made the score line a more respectable for Rangers when he scored a third goal in the added time.
Nigerian Football
Season’s first win for Akwa United and Ikorodu City
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.
Nigerian Football
Behold! Nigeria Football’s October 8 Magic
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.
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