Nigerian Football
PLATEAU UNITED IN UMUAHIA TO CONSOLIDATE TOP SPOT
BY MUYIWA AKINTUNDE
Plateau United have held on to the top spot from Matchday 1 winning six and drawing three of 10 matches, their only blemishing coming from the lone goal defeat to Heartland on Matchday 7.
The Jo’s team are guaranteed to stay at the helm unless Abia Warriors behave like their neighbours Heartland, and second placed Lobi Stars beat Akwa United in Uyo. Even then, the Stars will have to cancel United’s two-goal advantage.
Abia Warriors have won three and drawn two matches this season.
Lobi Stars might have been on the same point haul with Plateau United if not that their Matchday 6 home fixture against fumbling Rangers was rescheduled to enable the visitors attend to continental assignment. Five wins and three draws from nine games have earned the 2017/18 champions 18 points as they arrive Uyo to face determined Akwa United.
The former Federation Cup winners are now beginning to pick themselves up after a poor start to the season. They posted back-to-back wins over Rivers United and local side Dakkada FC after losing 0-3 to MFM in Lagos.
Dakkada FC are in third place after a fine run in their debut season at the top flight. Despite the setback in the hands of “big brother” Akwa United last time out, the former Akwa Starlets are well positioned to challenge for honours after a 4-4-2 outcome in 10 matches.
But their hosts Sunshine Stars are also having a good showing as their 4-3-3 statistics suggest. They chase their fifth win in Akure to achieve 18 points and rise from No 6 on the log.
Two teams in the relegation zone – Rangers and Nasarawa United – have their matches deferred. While Nasarawa United will be guests of MFM on New Year day, Rangers’ home fixture against Kano Pillars will be played at a date to be announced.
Adamawa United and Kwara United – the other teams in the drop zone – will aim to leap out of danger. That will be a possibility for Kwara United if they shock Warri Wolves in Warri, while Adamawa United will also be lifted up if they beat visiting Rivers United and other results go their way.
MATCHDAY 11 FIXTURES…
- FC IfeanyiUbah v Heartland
- Warri Wolves v Kwara United
- Abia Warriors v Plateau United
- Katsina United v Jigawa Golden Stars
- Akwa United v Lobi Stars
- Sunshine Stars v Dakkada FC
- Adamawa United v Rivers United
WEDNESDAY
- MFM v Nasarawa United
POSTPONED
- Rangers v Kano Pillars
- Enyimba v Wikki
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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