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Nigerian Football

RIVERS EXTINGUISH FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN!

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BY SAMMY WEJINYA.

Rivers United put up a professional display on Sunday to easily take apart MFM FC 2-0 on match day 12 of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Ossy Martins and Esor Nelson were the goal scoring heroes for United who now move up to third on standings having started the day in fourth. 

Technical manager of United, Stanley Eguma handed recalls to Bakary Bamba, Kunle Odunlami and captain Festus Austine who all missed the club’s last game – the 2-0 win over Adamawa United in Gombe a week ago.

United settled faster but it was the visitors who had the first real opportunity to open the scoring.

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Oriyomi Lawal sprang the offside trap but saw his half chance from the edge of the box easily saved by the United goalkeeper, Darlington Ovunda, who has now kept clean sheets in his last two games.

United then took the game by scruff of the neck but found goal scoring chances hard to come by as MFM defended in compact fashion. 

The hosts didn’t have to wait long though for their first clear goal scoring moment and it arrived in the 17th minute. 

Quick passing between Martins and Ishaq Rafiu freed up the unmarked Esor who saw his exquisite chip beat Folarin Abayomi in the MFM goal but only kissed the roof of the net.

Chigozie Ihunda was the next to try his luck as his fiercely struck effort produced a fine save from Folarin. 

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The impressive Esor caused panic in the MFM back line with some control and dare devil dribbling before passing with precision to the unmarked Gopey Michael who somehow managed to fluff his lines at the opportune moment in the 22nd minute.

United then took the lead their overwhelming dominance deserved when Martins rose unchallenged to head home Ihunda’s precise free kick just before the half hour.

The visitors were reeling at this point and the home side twice came close to doubling their money in a frenzied 90-second period after they netted the opener.

Martins and Esor however failed to hit the target with headers on both occasions.

Ishaq was the next Rivers United player to come close to scoring, this time, in the 29th minute as he waltzed past his marker before seeing his shot saved by Folarin.

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There was only one Horse at the races and United continued knocking on the door in search of the second goal.

Bakary Bamba caused mayhem in the MFM rear guard in the 39th minute when he sped down the byline only to shoot straight at Folarin with the unmarked Martins and Gopey well placed to make a simple tap in.

Two minutes later, Ishaq’s free kick from the edge of the MFM box was saved by Folarin.

Barely a minute later, ‘The Pride Of Rivers’ came close again when the imperious Esor completely hoodwinked the MFM defence and produced a pass of genius to Ishaq whose well-struck effort, seemingly destined for the bottom corner, got deflected for a corner.

United kept up the intensity in the second half and almost scored straight from the restart with some intricate passing releasing Martins who disappointingly shot straight at the keeper from point blank range.

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It was a premonition the visitors failed to heed as the hosts scored from their next attack.

More quick tempo passing again carved open the MFM defence with Esor coming face to face with Folarin. 

The United man did not panic as he calmly picked his spot, sending the keeper the wrong way and the home fans into fits of wild celebration. 

Gopey should have made it 3-0 in the 61st minute but he shot wide from four yards when faced with a gaping goal.

Martins was the next to come close for the marauding hosts a minute later but he shot straight at the MFM goalkeeper from a promising position.

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MFM then had a rare attack, Adeyinka Najeem firing firmly enough but he met Ovunda, largely untested in the one-sided contest, in inspired form.

United bossed the rest of the contest but there was to be no more scoring as the game finished 2-0 in favour of the richly deserving hosts.

Head coach of MFM FC, Tony Bulus was non-commited in his post match comments.

“It’s football,” he said when quizzed by the official Rivers United FC website, www.riversunitedfc.com after the game.

Eguma on his part, praised his charges for the win.

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“It was a very disciplined performance. We controlled the game from start to finish and could have scored more goals.

“I am happy with the win and also pleased that we are moving up the log,” he said.

Rivers United now occupies third spot on the NPFL standings with 21 points from 12 games.

The ‘Pride Of Rivers’ will face Nasarawa United in their next League game on Wednesday, January 8 at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt by 4pm.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Nigerian Football

Season’s first win for Akwa United and Ikorodu City

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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.

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Behold! Nigeria Football’s October 8 Magic

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Nigeria’s Godwin Iwelumo terrorising Egypt’s goalmouth 47 years ago in an October 8 match. Nigeria won 4-0 inflicting the worst ever defeat on Egypt in a World Cup qualifier.

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.

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 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!

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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.
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Nigerian Football

 Rivers flow to the top!

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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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