Nigerian Football
LOBI STARS RESUME DOMESTIC LEAGUE ACTION
BY APESIN ADEMOLA
In between the national and state elections, the Nigerian Professional Football League will witness some rescheduled matches this Sunday.
Defending champions, Lobi Stars find themselves only a step from the bottom of the Group A table.
As a result of their CAF Champions League engagement, which is now in the group stage, the Pride of Benue have played four times in the 10-week season and acquired just seven points, same with Niger Tornadoes, who however have inferior goal difference to be confined to the rear.
Lobi look good to beat visiting Katsina United, which may lift them to No 5, if results in other centres go in their favour.
The home team have won their two matches at the Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi this season (3-0 versus Kwara United and 2-1 against Rangers), while Katsina United are poor travellers having lost all away fixtures by the same 0-2 scoreline to Remo Stars, Sunshine Stars and Enyimba.
Enyimba are away to Bendel Insurance, who have been at the receiving end of unfair officiating, which provoked Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu to threaten pulling out of the league.
The People’s Elephants are second on the log in this section and will be seeking to close the gap on MFM, who have a four-point cushion and have played a match less.
Enyimba have managed just a point in four away fixtures, while Insurance have won, drawn and lost their three home games to head the bottom four. Victory will see the promoted the Benin Arsenal at least two steps up the ladder from No 9.
Remo Stars, who are placed 10th with eight points from nine matches, return to their base – Gateway International Stadium, Sagamu – after serving banishment to Osogbo since Matchday 3. The Sky Blue Stars have won two of their four home matches, including the one played in Osogbo, and lost 0-1 to MFM.
Wikki Tourists have suffered defeat in all four away matches.
Both sides last met in the NPFL in 2017, winning at home.
In Group B, Akwa United have found their bearing since their home defeat to El-Kanemi Warriors on the opening day of the season.
Except for the 2-2 outcome of their Matchday 4 fixture against Plateau United, the Promise Keepers have won three home matches and another on the road (versus Yobe Desert Stars), plus two points in two other away games to be on the heels of the top two.
Separated from the frontrunners – FC Ifeanyi Ubah and El-Kanemi Warriors – by just three points, Akwa United will usurp the prime position if they win in Gombe given their superior goal difference.
Gombe however have every reason to go all out for maximum points after their nine points from the same number of matches have placed them second from the bottom of the table.
In their last match on the same ground, Gombe lost to their guests, Go Round by a lone goal but have won two matches (against Kano Pillars and Nasarawa United) and drawn the other game in front of their fans.
Bottom-placed Yobe Desert Stars have lost all four away matches and will not like to add another in Kaduna as they face Kada Stars, who themselves had suffered defeat when FC Ifeanyi Ubah visited Kaduda on Matchday 5.
The promoted side has garnered 10 points from eight matches to occupy No 10 in a 12-team group.
Fixtures…
Matchday 1 rescheduled:
Group A:
- Lobi Stars v Katsina United (4pm)
Matchday 2 rescheduled
Group A:
- Remo Stars v Wikki Tourists
- Bendel Insurance v Enyimba (both 4pm)
Group B:
- Gombe United v Akwa United,
- Kada Stars v Yobe Desert Stars (both 4pm)
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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