Nigerian Football
RIVERS FLOW INTO ‘NEST OF CHAMPIONS’ FOR DAKKADA CONFRONTATION
BY SAMMY WEJINYA.
A very special Nigeria Professional Football (NPFL) game will be decided on Sunday at the ‘Nest of Champions’, the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
The gladiators will fly the flag of Dakkada FC and Rivers United FC.
Both sides have punched above their weight this season and currently sit among the top five sides in the division.
Dakkada FC thrives in keeping the ball: an extremely fast and aggressive side in possession, the Uyo side, shrewdly managed by Caleb Esu, is usually set up to play the conventional 4-4-2 formation.
The Uyo side finds so much joy operating from the wings and both channels of the opposition with their marauding ‘number 9s’, Ifegwu Ojukwu and Femi Ajayi wreaking havoc against many a side.
Dakkada’s wing play is outstanding. They soak up pressure admirably and when the opposition loses possession, the plucky new Boys counter attack with pace, precision and deadly efficiency.
They have employed this tactic to near perfection especially in away games and have the second-best away record of all 20 clubs in the NPFL (Lobi Stars have the best record, in this context).
Moses Effiong is a Man to be feared. He is Dakkada FC’s top scorer and is ultra-effective and efficient both aerially and with low balls.
They also have some ‘old heads’ in their ranks in the shape of attacking midfielder, Aniekan Ekpe and centre half, Harrison Ibukun.
Dakkada FC is a well-drilled side and when they play in Uyo, they are a formidable proposition.
The Uyo club have won four and lost two of their home games this term.
Head coach of Dakkada FC, Caleb Esu insists the team will not be conservative in their approach against the dangerous Rivers United on Sunday.
“I want to express my attacking prowess with my team against Rivers United,” Esu told the official Rivers United FC website, www.riversunitedfc.com.fc.
“It’s all about consistency and cohesion in the team. The boys that I have in my team are boys that are very hungry to play.
“There is a good blend of youth and experience in my team and I always make sure that they are clear as regards what they need to do when faced with any particular opposition,” he said.
Rivers United’s technical manager, Stanley Eguma, on his part says Sunday’s game is crucial and insists amassing maximum points is a possibility.
“We know that Dakkada FC is a very good team but we are not afraid of them. We are going there (Uyo) to fight for the three points and it is very possible we are going to come back with (the points),” Eguma said.
Something will have to give on Sunday when these two high-flying sides go toe to toe at the picturesque Nest of Champions on Sunday.
One thing is certain though – it will be a special and extremely beautiful spectacle between two aesthetically-pleasing sides.
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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