Nigerian Football
Remo Stars maintain League leadership, best away result
Returnee into the elite Nigerian league, Remo Stars of Ikenne maintain their good form as they rallied from a goal down to hold Dakkada 1-1 in Uyo on Sunday as the Nigeria Professional Football League entered its fourth match day.
They are the only away side with a goal as fellow stars, the Sunshine Stars who are the only other undefeated away team, held Rivers United to a goalless draw.
Home side, Dakkada shot into the lead in the 12th minute through Muritala Lawal. It was a significant incident. It was the first goal that Remo Stars conceded this season.
It came after Remo Stars had played 282 minutes of regulation time. But the Remo Boys still maintained their unbeaten run after four matches as Samuel Anakwe rallied back to draw level for the side in the 42nd minute.
In Port Harcourt, Rivers United got more than they bargained for as the initial punching bag of the league held on tenaciously to a goalless draw.
In Enugu, Rangers, the only Nigerian clubside never to have been relegated since national league of 1972, were truly at home, battering visiting Niger Tornadoes 4-0.
The visitor had held on stoutly to a goalless first half before Agu Kenechukwu’s 58th minute penalty kick goal opened a floodgate.
He doubled the lead in the 70th minute before Shedrack Asiegbu made it three in the 73rd minute.
Just a minute to regulation time, Christian Nnaji scored the fourth goal. Rivals, Kano Pillars beat Enyimba 2-0 . Rabiu Ali opened scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute of added time of the first half.
In the 60th minute Kokoete Udo made it 2-0 for Kano Pillars. In a game of the Uniteds, Nasarawa United also beat Akwa United 2-0. Tochukwu Udeh opened scoring in the 53rd minute while Silas Nwankwo added the second in 83rd minute.
Heartland of Owerri again proved poor travelers as they were beaten 3-0 by Plateau United, the same scoreline they had in their away loss to Remo Stars in matchday 2.
Jesse Akila shot Plateau United ahead in the 17th minute. Izuchukwu Chimezie made it two in the 47th minute before Mohammed Zulkilu put in the their goal in the 73rd minute.
It was another 3-0 result as Wikki Tourists fully utilized their home advantage in their duel with MFM. The 3-0 means that MFM have the worst goal difference so far this season. They are in negative of six goals.
They conceded the first goal when Nelson Abiam found the net in the seventh minute. A minute of added time in the first half saw Isah Usman putting in the second goal. Fiften minutes into the second half Ibrahim Sale made it three.
Three other matches are slated for Monday as Shooting Stars host Katsina United while Lobi Stars will be away to Gombe United. The last match pitches Abia Warriors against visiting Kwara United.
Results
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Enyimba
- Rivers United 0-0 Sunshine Stars
- Rangers 4-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Wikki Tourists 3-0 MFM
- Plateau United 3-0 Heartland
- Dakkada 1-1 Remo Stars
- Nasarawa United 2-0 Akwa United
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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