Nigerian Football
Remo Stars hope to continue unbeaten run in the Nigerian League
Remo Stars are hoping to extend their unbeaten streak in the ongoing Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) as they play hosts to Plateau United.
The tie between the Sky Blue Stars and the Peace Boys is scheduled to take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State by 4pm.
While the home side with eight points currently occupy first position in the standings, Plateau United are placed in eighth spot with six points after just two wins from their last four fixtures.
Remo Stars picked another point on the road after their first maximum points in Lagos in the first game of the NPFL season with Samuel Anakwe getting his second goal of the season against Dakkada FC after Muritala Lawal had earlier put the host on front in the 12th minute in Uyo.
Plateau United on the other hand, got an emphatic 3-0 victory over Heartland FC at the New Jos Stadium with goals from Jesse Akila, Chimezie Izuchukwu and Mohammed Zuikifilu.
The host will be hopeful that sensational Andy Okpe get back his goalscoring form and to see Ifeanyi Ojukwu and Abdullahi Oyedele fit to compete against the Peace Boys on Sunday.
The Sky Blue Stars have a host of players to call upon if the injured players aren’t back before Sunday with the likes of Ibrahim Yusuf, Dada Oladimeji and Edugbeke Andrew will be looking to grab their chances in weekend’s encounter against Plateau United if called upon by the gaffer.
Remo Stars will have to be wary of the likes of Elisha Golbe and Daniel Itodo who were part of the players that grabbed the maximum victory against Remo Stars in Matchday One of the NPFL played in 2017 at the Gateway International Stadium, Sagamu.
Other players that need to be looked at going into that game against Plateau United are Ruben Bala, Charles Henlong and Jimmy Ambrose who have enough experience in the top tier of Nigeria Football.
Both sides have met only twice and that was in 2017 when Kim John and Elisha Golbe goals ensured they got the maximum points against the Sky Blue Stars, Victor Mbaoma scored his first ever NPFL goal for the host in the 42nd minute but it wasn’t enough for them to pick a point.
The reverse fixture saw Hamzat Owolabi got the only goal of the game after he connected a long throw from Daniel Itodo to give Plateau United a hundred percent victory over the Sky Blue Stars in Jos.
The Remo Stars Stadium is a fortress for the Sky Blue Stars since they started playing active football on that pitch, they have not conceded any goal, and they hope to maintain that record.
A win for the Remo Stars will help keep the momentum of keeping their NPFL status intact and also maintain a record of not losing a game at home in presence of their supporters.
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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