Nigerian Football
ENYIMBA ENDS RIVERS UNITED’S UNBEATEN RUN
BY SAMMY WEJINYA.
Two-time African champions, Enyimba claimed a deserved 2-0 win over Rivers United in a brilliantly-contested Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) game decided on Sunday in Aba.
United came into the game in fine fettle as they were unbeaten in four previous matches and sitting proudly at the summit of the division.
The ‘Pride of Rivers’ started Sunday’s contest at the Enyimba International Stadium well enough but conceded just before the break, in what ultimately proved to be the turning point of the high-octane encounter.
Bashir Abdulrahman scored the decisive goal on 43 minutes after Ibrahim Mustapha’s mazy run carved open the Rivers United rear guard.
One minute before the end of regulation time, Enyimba scored the game’s second goal and it was the least their dominance deserved.
Wasiu Alalade finished brilliantly after some dare devil dribbling and incisive passing by second half substitute, Chukwuka Onuwa who teed up the goal scorer with a delivery of extraordinary quality.
Enyimba could easily have scored more in the second half but profligacy let them down on more than a solitary occasion.
Mustapha was denied from point blank range by the Rivers United goalkeeper, Drissa Bamba who produced a save right out of the top drawer in the 50th minute to temporarily keep the score at 1-0.
Enyimba never stopped probing in the second half and Abdulraman missed a gilt-edged chance on 71 minutes while Simon Zenke headed over from close range with just Bamba at his mercy 11 minutes from time.
The hosts dominated territorially in the second half but United were anything but second best in a first half that ebbed and flowed.
Wasiu Jimoh headed a Konan Ruffin cross straight at the Enyimba goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai in the 13th minute.
Afterwards, head coaches of both sides, Usman Abdallah (Enyimba) and Stanley Eguma (Rivers United) spoke to the Rivers United official website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng. (audio files have been attached).
Moments earlier, Enyimba had come close to opening the scoring when Abdulrahman chipped Bamba but watched in despair as his effort clattered against the cross bar.
The win sees Enyimba climb to fourth in Group A of the NPFL standings with seven points from five matches while Rivers United while Rivers United dropped to third with eight points from five games.
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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