Nigerian Football
A MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH FOR COACH ILECHUKWU AND HEARTLAND
Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministries (MFM) FC produced the opening shock of the 2019/20 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season when they claimed a 0-1 away win at Heartland FC in Okigwe.
But that would not diminish Plateau United’s impressive 3-1 win
over Lobi Stars in a fixture that had a former Governor of Plateau State on the
stands cheering the Jos side.
MFM FC had struggled for the most part of the pre-season after the loss of
their enigmatic head coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu to Sunday’s opponent but the
Lagos based side pulled the chestnut out of the fire in stunning fashion
against their former boss.
Clement Ogwu, a player signed by Ilechukwu for MFM last season from little
known Glorious Day Academy headed home the game’s only goal on the 39th minute
from a corner kick by right back Adeyinka Najeem.
The goal indeed tore the form guide into shreds as all three
previous NPFL encounters involving both sides had ended in home wins.
It was a double-header clash between Delta and Akwa-Ibom states on Sunday with
Delta Force hosting NPFL debutants Akwa Starlets in Asaba while Warri Wolves,
on their return to the big league hosted Akwa United at the Warri Township
Stadium.
Both games ended in entertaining 1-1 draws. Samuel Amadi scored the first goal
of the new season as his second minute strike gave Wolves the lead but last
season’s joint top scorer, Mfon Udoh continued from where he left off on the
28th minute to restore parity for John Obuh’s Akwa United. Neither side could
find a winner in the second half.
At the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Starlets stunned their hosts on the 50th
minute when Isaac George gave them the lead but experienced substitute Bala
Yahuza rescued a point for Mangut Mbwas’ side twenty minutes from time.
Plateau United laid down the marker for the new season with an emphatic 3-1
dispatch of Lobi Stars in a North Central Derby at the New Jos City Stadium on
Sunday. Abdu Maikaba’s United raced to a two-goal lead courtesy of Nerot Silas’
17th minute strike and a Solomon Kwambe own-goal but Lobi halfed the deficit on
the 32nd minute through a Sikiru Alimi penalty.
Winger Amos Gyang Danladi however scored his side’s third on the 67th minute to
send the 2017 league winners to the summit of the league table after Match Day
One.
Abia Warriors also started the season on a bright note when a brace by former
Heartland star Jimoh Oni earned them a routine 2-0 win over Katsina United at
the Umuahia Township stadium.
In Nnewi, FC Ifeanyiubah edged newly promoted Adamawa United 1-0
courtesy of a spectacular strike by Samuel Kalu. Striker Chibuike Ezeh also
missed a second half penalty which could have widened the scoreline for the
Anambra Warriors.
Wikki Tourists of Bauchi were the only team that came from a goal down to win
on Sunday, a feat they achieved in their 2-1 success over newly promoted Jigawa
Golden Stars at their adopted home ground in Gombe.
Lala Abdullahi gave Jigawa a shock lead at the Pantami Stadium on the quarter
hour mark but two second half goals from Saidu Abubakar and team captain
Mohammed Idris Guda gave Ibrahim Garba’s men the maximum points.
In Kano, former champions, Kano Pillars were held to a 0-0 draw by Rivers
United at the Sani Abacha Stadium. The game which was played behind closed
doors as Pillars continue to serve punishment from their fans’ behaviour in
Lagos at the end of last season saw the Sai Masu Gida side miss a number of
scoring chances.
Two other games; Enyimba vs Nasarawa United and Rangers vs Sunshine Stars were
rescheduled due to Enyimba and Rangers’ CAF Confederation Cup games on Sunday.
The two former champions won their respective games and booked their places in
the group stage of the continental competition.
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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