International Football
JOSEPH ARIBO IS NIGERIA’S 60TH SCORING DEBUTANT!
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Scottish
Premiership club player, Joseph Oluwaseyi Temitope Ayodele-Aribo has become
Nigeria’s 60th player to score in first appearance for the national
team.
He found the net barely four minutes in Nigeria’s friendly match with Ukraine on Tuesday night at Dnipro-Arena.
The 23-year-old was born in England, but is eligible to play for the Super Eagles.
“I am really happy to have got this call-up to Nigeria and I just want to make the most of it and play as long as possible,” Football Scotland quoted him as saying on a Nigerian YouTube channel.
“I just do what I can for the team and make sure that we continue being the best that we can be.”
Aribo moved to Ibrox on a free transfer from Charlton this summer, and has made 12 appearances so far
His impressive performance could be an indication of what should be expected from him in the days leading to the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations’ qualifying series.
Sports Village Square recalls that the midfielder with attacking instinct has now joined the rank of other notable Nigerian players – Obafemi Martins, Finidi George, Uche Okechukwu, Thompson Usiyan and Matthias Obianika among others who scored in the very first time they played for Nigeria.
The last scoring debutant before Aribo was Bryan Idowu in November 2017 when Nigeria defeated Argentina 4-2.
It has been long that a previously uncapped player found the net. Peter Utaka and Osas Idehen did score for a second string Nigerian side of 2010 in the 5-2 demolition of Congo DR in a friendly tie in Abuja.
Iwobi too missed being a scoring debutant has his first goal for Nigeria after having been substitute in two previous matches with Congo and Cameroon in friendly matches played in Vise, Belgium in October 2015.
The first scoring debutant for Nigeria was Tesilimi Balogun, in whose name a stadium in Lagos is named. It was against Sierra Leone in both countries’ maiden international duel on October 8, 1949, that he achieved his feat.
The last time Nigeria presented the full complement of its national team in Lagos was 2001 in an African Nations Cup qualifier. Victor Agali, having his first cap, scored the solitary goal of the encounter.
Obafemi Martins was also another scoring debutant when he found the net in Nigeria’s 3-0 demolition of Republic of Ireland in a friendly game on May 29, 2004 in London.
Barely six months later, Ayodele Makinwa joined the exclusive club when he score Nigeria’s only goal in a 2-1 loss to South Africa on the occasion of Mandela Challenge tie in Johannesburg. That was the first time South Africa scored and beat Nigeria.
NIGERIA’S SCORING DEBUTANTS
PLAYER MATCH/ DATE VENUE
- Balogun Tesilimi Sierra Leone October 8, 1949 Freetown
- Okoh Friday – 2 goals Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Asoluka Cyril Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Anieke Peter Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Okere Titus Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Okwudili Daniel Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Longe Julius Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Ejoh Hubert Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Noquapor Patrick – 2goals v. Ghana October 27, 1957 Accra
- Ijeomah Isaac Ghana October 27, 1957 Accra
- Buraimoh Abudu – 2Goals v. Ghana October 25, 1958 Lagos
- Onyali Elkana v. Ghana October 10, 1959 Lagos
- Ohiri Christopher v. Ghana October 10, 1959 Lagos
- Chukwumah Egwuonu v. Tunisia December 10, 1961 Tunis
- Egbuonu Johnny v. Cameroon January 1, 1963, Yaounde
- Udemezue Chris v. Cameroon January 1, 1963, Yaounde
- Olatunji Lasisi v. Guinea July 27, 1963 Lagos
- Anieke Sunday v. Gabon August 28, 1965 Libreville
- Mordi Bobo v. Gabon August 28, 1965 Libreville
- Olowo-Oshodi Samsideen v. Congo November 5, 1966 Lagos
- Aghoghovbia Joe v. Cameroon December 10, 1968 Lagos
- Obianika Mathias – 2 Goals v. Upper Volta November 27, 1971 Lagos
- Oyarekhua Sunny v. Upper Volta November 27, 1971 Lagos
- Popoola Ben v. Cote d’Ivoire July 18, 1974 Lagos
- Ibeabuchi Ogidi v. Ghana August 24, 1974 Accra
- Usiyen Thompson v. Kenya February 7, 1976 Nairobi
- Godwin Iwelumo v. Benin February 14, 1977 Lagos
- Onwuachi Martins v. Benin October 14, 1978 Cotonou
- Boateng Leotis v. Tunisia July 12, 1980 Lagos
- Emmanuel Osigwe v. Tunisia July 12,1980,Lagos
- Nwokocha Chris v. Tanzania Dec. 20, 1980 Dar-es-Salam
- Ali Bala v. Upper Volta July 18, 1981 Lagos
- Adeshina Ademola v. Ethiopia March 7, 1982 Benghazi
- Omughele John v. Ghana October 30, 1983 Accra
- Sadi Dahiru v. Kenya April 20, 1985 Lagos
- Balarabe Abubakar v. Guinea April 9, 1989 Conakry
- Adekola Adeolu v. Guinea April 22, 1989 Ibadan
- Oyekanmi Taju v. Cote d’Ivoire January 25, 1990 Kaduna
- Okechukwu Uche v. Cote d’Ivoire January 25, 1990 Kaduna
- Lawal Dimeji v. Togo August 18, 1990 Lagos
- Finidi George v. Burkina Faso July 27, 1991 Lagos
- Taiwo Wasiu v. USA June 11, 1995 Boston
- Fatusi Tesilimi v. Czech Rep. Dec, 11, 1996 Casablanca
- Zeigbo Kenneth v. Cameroon August 7, 1997 Tunis
- Garba Ahmed v. Iran Jan. 28, 1998 Hong Kong
- Aghahowa Julius v. Morocco February 3, 2000 Lagos
- Ishola Shuaibu v. Malawi June 4, 2000 Kano
- Agali Victor v. Zambia January 13, 2001 Lagos
- Opabunmi Femi v. Kenya May 4, 2002 Lagos
- Ogochukwu Ileagwu v. Senegal October 12, 2002 Dakar
- Ogechukwu Uche v. Ghana December 15, 2002 Accra
- Akwueme Emeka v. Jordan April 28, 2004 Lagos
- Martins Obafemi v. Ireland May 29, 2004 London
- Makinwa Ayodele v. South Africa Nov. 17, 2004 Johannesburg
- Akabueze Chukwuma v. Kenya May 27, 2007 Nairobi
- Peter Utaka v. Congo DR March 3, 2010 Abuja
- Osas Idehen v. Congo DR March 3, 2010 Abuja
- Ehiosun Ekigho v. Sierra Leone February 9, 2011, Lagos
- Bryan Idowu. v. Argentina, November 14, 2017
- Joseph Aribo v. Ukraine September 10, 2019
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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