Nigerian Football
LOBI STARS’ SIKIRU ALIMI IMPRESSED BY GROWING COMPETITIVENESS OF NIGERIAN LEAGUE
BY CHIBUOGWU NNADIEGBULAM
After his side’s 1-1 draw with Rivers United on Thursday at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt, Lobi Stars’ striker, Sikiru Alimi hailed the high level of competitiveness that has been on display in this year’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)
The Matchday 20 Group A encounter saw the Makurdi-based side pick up their seventh away point of the season as they extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches to further strengthen their hopes for a Title Playoff place.
Rivers United’s Kunle Odunlami scored a first half own goal to give Lobi the lead before Adebambo Ademola snatched a second half equalizer for the hosts.
With the regular season now on the home stretch, Rivers United had seen the home game as a chance to dislodge Lobi and occupy second place on the table, but the visitors had other ideas with Alimi as Tormentor-in-Chief.
“The game was all about pride and priority,” Alimi, who was voted Man of the Match, told npfl.ng.
“We knew if we didn’t get a point in Port Harcourt, it might dent our continental aspirations, so we came all out for the game and it reflected. It’s a good one for us going forward.”
So far, one interesting fact that has caught the eye of NPFL fans and critics alike is that none of the 24 teams participating in this season’s campaign can boast a perfect home record.
This has effectively put any debate regarding the win-at-home syndrome to bed and has produced impressive unbeaten runs; Rangers executed 13 games, home and away, without defeat, Enyimba did 12, Akwa United did nine while Lobi are on seven with the hope of extending it further.
Out of the ten away games they have played, Coach Solomon Ogbeide’s charges have secured seven draws and just three defeats, picking points from even the Cathedral in Enugu and Enyimba International’s ‘Rolls-Royce’ Stadium.
“The season has been a great one with surprising results week-in, week-out,” Alimi confessed, “some of the dreaded fortresses have been turned to farm houses.
“I hope it continues this way and hopefully we can sell our league to the world,” the former Sunshine Stars player added.
It is the ambition of the club to return to continental football next season but Alimi has stated that they would have to qualify for the NPFL Playoff first.
At this season’s CAF Champions League, Alimi was top scorer for Lobi Stars with five crucial goals as the Ortom Boys failed to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
But he expressed satisfaction at their performance considering they were initially “written off”.
“We just want to take it a step at a time. We want to make the Super 6 first before talking about getting a slot in the continent.
“The continental experience was something to behold. Nothing beats the experience.
“Although I’ve been in a continental setup before with Warri Wolves, but it’s with Lobi that I could make an impact. It’s another level of play on its own. I’m so glad for the opportunity and impact that I made. The NPFL is blessed with talents,” he concluded.
Lobi Stars will host Wikki Tourists at the Aper Aku Stadium on Monday, the penultimate Matchday of the regular season, as they look to grab one of the two playoff tickets left in Group A after leaders Rangers secured their place on Wednesday
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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