Nigerian Football
WIKKI CRUISE TO VICTORY OVER RIVERS UNITED FC
BY SAMMY WEJINYA
Rivers United put up their worst display of the season on Sunday in a 0-2 loss to Wikki Tourists at the Pantami Stadium as the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) entered Match Day 11.
Wikki started in edgy fashion against a Rivers United side with one change from their last game against Katsina United in Port Harcourt on March 6.
The Port Harcourt side looked, by far, the more accomplished side early on and could have easily taken the lead had Christian Weli had scored in the 12th minute.
The Rivers United midfielder however placed a free header fromsix yards out, inches wide following an exquisitely delivered free kick by Peter Ubakanma.
That miss by Weli stung the hosts into action as Promise Damala crept into the visitors’ box two minutes later before firing a fierce effort that just whizzed wide off the right-hand side of Drissa Bamba’s goal.
Damala’s miss from the gilt-edged opportunity was a premonition that United failed to heed because six minutes later, Wikki took the lead with Abba Umar firing in a stunning effort off the crossbar from the edge of the box.
The home side went on to boss the rest of the half with the visitors looking threatening in fits and starts.
Kehinde Adedipe came close to levelling matters in the 37th minute but his goal bound strike was pushed out spectacularly by the Wikki Tourists goalkeeper, Chinedu Anthony Ude.
Three minutes later, Wikki almost doubled their advantage through the lively Abba who attempted to curl one into the far post in Lionel Messi-esque fashion but Bamba read the danger well enough and managed to save in unconventional fashion.
The second half exemplified the poorest and most underwhelming by United this season as the hosts had a field day in carving out a plethora of chances.
Only profligacy prevented the score line from being more lopsided as Abba, Isa Gata and Manu Garba were all found culpable of shocking misses when clean through on goal.
Gata’s scrambled effort, 19 minutes from the end after an Idris Guda effort was beaten away by Bamba following a shocking howler by Peter Ubakanma gave a more realistic reflection of the hosts’ dominance.
Head coach of Wikki Tourists, Ali Zubairu praised his charges for the win while identifying Weli’s first half miss as the turning point in the game.
“Rivers United is a very experienced side. We were lucky because they had the first chance of the game and if they had taken their opportunities, particularly the first chance of the game when one of their players (headed wide from close range), it could have been a different game.
“Our team has been making progress match by match and it showed (on Sunday) against Rivers United,” Zubairu told the official Rivers United website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
Rivers United’s technical manager, Stanley Eguma was crestfallen afterwards as he admitted that his side did not play up to their usual standards.
“We did not play well. We will correct the mistakes noticed ahead of our next game against Lobi Stars on Wednesday,” he said.
Rivers United is currently in fourth place in Group B of the NPFL with 13 points from nine matches.
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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