Nigerian Football
IHEANACHO LEADS LEICESTER CITY TO 3-1 WIN OVER ARSENAL
Super Eagles striker, Kelechi Iheanacho scored his first premier league goal of the season as Leicester City compounds Arsenal woeful 2018 away matches in 3-1 victory at King Power Stadium.
Iheanacho opened the goal feast, before Jamie Vardy and Rihad Mahrez struck in the second-half to ensure Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s equaliser earlier in the period counts for nothing.
Leicester coach Claude Puel make three changes to their side for this match, with the returning Simpson joined by goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic and striker Kelechi Iheanacho.
Ben Hamer had been preferred to Schmeichel in the previous games without the Dane, but it is Jakupovic who gets the nod this evening, while Iheanacho will hope to provide an extra goal threat having replaced Vicent Iborra in the starting line-up.
Arsene Wenger makes four changes to the side that gave him such a good send-off against Burnley at the weekend with Hector Bellerin and Jack Wilshere joining Alexandre Lacazette in dropping out of the squad altogether having played on Sunday.
Calum Chambers is also absent from the 18, with Maitland-Niles, Rob Holding, Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck the quartet to come into their side for Wenger’s penultimate Arsenal team selection.
Jakupovic is called into his first serious piece of action tonight as he dives to his left to push an Iwobi effort behind for a corner.
It was a nice move from Arsenal, but Leicester made it far too easy for them once they got into the box.
Leicester threatens for the first time this evening as Welbeck gives the ball away, allowing Adrien Silva to thread the ball through for Jamie Vardy as the England international stands up holding to create space to shoot, but he forces himself a little wide and Petr Cech is able to turn the ball past the near post.
Leicester are 1-0 up after Iheanacho who fires his finish past Cech after receiving a heading from fellow African Diabate in the 14 minutes of the encounter.
Arsenal’s away woes aren’t easing in a hurry as Konstantinos Mavropanos and Iheanacho clash for a 50:50 with Leicester forward comes off the better but his opponent grabs him by the shirt and pulling him down with referee Graham Scott shown the Greek defender his first red card in his Gunners career.
Wenger makes a change after that red card and Welbeck is the man sacrificed as Shkodran Mustafi replaces him and switching to a 4-2-3 formation with Iwobi wide left and Mkhitaryan wide right.
A chance for Arsenal as Xhaka plays a very smart reverse pass to Iwobi in the area. It goes square to Mkhitaryan, who unleashes a snapshot Jakupovic can only block for a corner. That comes to Aubameyang, who can’t quite do more than poke a shot through a mass of bodies.
Leicester are back on the front foot now and Mahrez holds on to the ball for a long time, trying to do it all himself but eventually blazing his effort a long way over the crossbar.
Leicester win a free kick in a really good position and Mahrez leaves it for Silva, who tries to go under the wall and into the far bottom corner. Cech sees it late but gets down well to make a decent save.
Cech again comes to Arsenal’s rescue here as Iheanacho fires a low strike across goal which the keeper parries away with another smart stop.
Ambitious from Iheanacho as he steals the ball just inside his own half and tries to lob Cech from inside the centre circle, but he puts too much on it.
Arsenal have started this half brightly as well, and they almost level things up! A chipped ball to the left channel finds the overlapping Kolasinac, who drills a low strike against the foot of the near post from a tight angle.
Leicester come pouring forward again and find themselves with a two-on-one far too easily as Vardy gives the ball out to an unmarked Diabate the Malian advances into the area before squeezing the ball under Cech, although the Arsenal keeper gets enough on the ball to take the pace off it before Mustafi is there to clear it off the line.
Despite the constant stream of Leicester chances, it’s Arsenal who are back on level terms an attack down the right as Maitland-Niles whipped the ball into the Foxes box as Aubameyang meets it only to see his first save spectacularly saved by Jakupovic, but the Arsenal striker is there to smash home the rebound to make 1-1 in the 53 minutes of the game.
Mkhitaryan brings down a diagonal ball into the box with a lovely touch before looking to hammer a half-volley towards the near top corner, but it flies over the crossbar.
Rivers United head coach and technical manager, Finidi George, has praised young defender Ochiobi Elias following his outstanding performance in the club’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over Niger Tornadoes in a rescheduled Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) fixture on Wednesday at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt.
The left-back, who played the full 90 minutes, was instrumental in helping Rivers United maintain a clean sheet, marking one of his most confident outings since his promotion to the senior squad.
Finidi, visibly impressed after the match, revealed that his decision to give Elias a full game was driven by trust in the player’s potential, despite his limited minutes earlier in the season.
“I think he did well. Normally, we should have been bringing him in gradually — maybe 15 minutes before giving him a 90-minute match,” Finidi said. “But I trust him, and I’ve spoken to him. He should be relaxed, calm down, and play his football.”
The coach also highlighted a near-miss moment when Elias came close to scoring late in the game, a chance Finidi felt could have crowned his stellar performance.
“I think today he would have scored a goal at the last moment, but he still wanted to square the ball, look for somebody,” Finidi added. “I’m quite happy with his performance, and we will keep encouraging him to do better. I am very, very pleased.”
Elias, a product of the Rivers United youth team that won the NPFL Youth League in 2024, has been gradually integrated into the first team under Finidi’s guidance. His performance on Wednesday is seen as a major step forward in his development and a sign of his growing confidence.
The youngster is now expected to retain his place in the squad as Rivers United travel to Aba this Sunday for a crucial NPFL clash against Enyimba.
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Strategic partners of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on the President Federation Cup, GTI Group, have congratulated the football governing body on the successful hosting of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held last weekend in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a press statement issued on Friday in Lagos, GTI’s Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba, lauded the NFF Board under the leadership of Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau for the smooth conduct of the AGM and the significant progress made in Nigerian football development.
According to Ekejiuba, the Ibadan meeting reflected Gusau’s commitment to engaging stakeholders and strengthening unity across the football ecosystem.
“GTI Group congratulates the Nigeria Football Federation on the successful outcome of its Annual General Meeting held in Ibadan, which the President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, used the occasion to demonstrate his commitment to engaging positively with football stakeholders, including state football associations, clubs and fans,” he said.
“His interactions with the various groups at the AGM showcased his impactful leadership and dedication to promoting Nigerian football and fostering a collaborative environment.”
Ekejiuba also highlighted the Super Falcons’ recent achievements and the growth of domestic competitions, particularly the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), as key milestones recorded under Gusau’s leadership. GTI serves as a strategic partner of the NPFL, supporting its structural and commercial transformation.
The statement further expressed appreciation to Governor Seyi Makinde and the people of Oyo State for their hospitality and support during the AGM. Ekejiuba noted the governor’s commendation of the improved standard of refereeing in the NPFL under the administration of Otunba Gbenga Elegbeleye.
However, GTI also used the opportunity to express disappointment over the early exit of Kwara United and Abia Warriors from the CAF Confederation Cup, urging Nigerian clubs to raise their competitive standards on the continental stage.
“It is unfortunate that both Kwara United and Abia Warriors crashed out at the preliminary phase of the CAF Confederation Cup last weekend. This clearly shows that Nigerian clubs must raise their game in order to compete favourably,” the statement read.
“The future remains bright, but that is why GTI has been calling on Corporate Nigeria to invest more in our football, just as is done in thriving leagues across the world.”
Ekejiuba also extended words of encouragement to Remo Stars and Rivers United, who are still flying Nigeria’s flag in the CAF Champions League.
“We encourage them to dig deep and remain focused to ensure successful campaigns. They should give Nigerian football fans something to cheer this season because we understand how demanding continental competitions can be,” he concluded.
GTI Group reaffirmed its continued commitment to working closely with the NFF to advance football development, promote professionalism, and attract sustainable investment into the Nigerian game.
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The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has queried Warri Wolves following reports of the suspension of their head coach, Aluma Napoleon, faulting the club’s failure to comply with established procedures for contracting and registering technical officials.
In a letter titled “Notarization and Registration of Contracts” and signed by the NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, the league body directed the Delta-based club to regularize all contractual documentation with its technical and management staff in line with NPFL regulations.
The NPFL’s letter stated:
“Information reaching us from the media space suggests that the Delta State Sports Commission has suspended your head coach, Mr. Aluma Napoleon, with immediate effect.”
Citing Sections B, Articles 6 and 11 of the NPFL 2025/26 Framework and Rules, the league reminded Warri Wolves that all clubs are required to submit notarized contracts of their officials for registration and record purposes.
“You are, however, in breach of these sections as Warri Wolves FC have not submitted the contracts of its officials to the League Board. You are hereby requested, within twenty-four hours of receiving this letter, to submit all relevant contracts of your technical team, including that of the assumed suspended head coach, Mr. Napoleon Aluma, to the NPFL Secretariat,” the letter warned.
The NPFL further cautioned that failure to comply could lead to sanctions, including restricting Warri Wolves’ technical crew from accessing the bench in subsequent league matches.
“Note that failure to comply with this instruction will lead to the restriction of your technical team from accessing the technical area in future NPFL matches,” the league stated.
In a related statement to NPFL Media, COO Davidson Owumi stressed that the Warri Wolves case was not isolated, adding that all clubs yet to register the contracts of their technical officials must do so without delay.
“I must admonish all coaches to get hold of their contracts and lodge a report with the NPFL when there is a violation of the terms. It is the responsibility of the aggrieved to petition the league at all times,” Owumi emphasized.
The NPFL has been tightening administrative controls in recent seasons to ensure transparency, professionalism, and adherence to contractual obligations across all participating clubs.
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