Nigerian Football
High riding Plateau go atop as Remo Stars taste second league defeat
The 2017 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions, Plateau United moved to the top of the table after an impressive 3-1 win over hard fighting Shooting Stars in a MatchDay 13 encounter decided in Jos on Wednesday.
With leaders Rivers United not playing until Thursday, Fidelis Ilechukwu’s wards took full advantage by recording their fifth consecutive win.
Mohammed Zulkifilu gave Plateau the lead in the 8th minute but Seyi Okeowo’s 42nd minute goal for 3SC ensured that both sides were level at the break.
Plateau United however claimed maximum points through goals from Albert Hilary and Nenrot Silas (P) in the second half.
Three days after suffering their first loss of the season, it became two losses in a row for Remo Stars after they were beaten 0-1 by Akwa United in Ikenne.
David Onovo netted the only goal of the game in the 28th minute after the Remo defence failed to clear a corner kick. Remo stay in third while Akwa United move to fifth.
Kwara United moved to 4th on the log after a 1-0 win over Enyimba in Ilorin.
Alao Danbani headed home in the 17th minute after former Enyimba striker Samad Kadiri had seen his effort tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Olorunleke Ojo. Finidi George’s Enyimba who were 5th before Wednesday’s action now drop to 7th on the log.
Kano Pillars had their bad run compounded after Wikki Tourists came from behind to inflict a 2-1 defeat on Salisu Yusuf’s men at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi.
Pillars drew the first blood through Gabriel Jeremiah in the 15th minute but Wikki nicked it in the end courtesy of Promise Damala’s goals in the 82nd and 84th minute. Pillars drop to 15th on the log, just one point above the relegation zone.
Niger Tornadoes left it late to beat Sunshine Stars 1-0 at the Abuja National Stadium. Munir Idris scored in the 93rd minute to leapfrog Sunshine Stars on the log and give themselves more hope in the early race against relegation.
There was also a late goal in Lagos as MFM FC ended a streak of seven winless games after they recorded a 1-0 win over Katsina United at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. Midfielder Tunde Azeez scored the all important goal nine minutes from time to lift MFM off the foot of the table at least till other games are decided on Thursday.
Pick of Thursday’s games will see Imama Amapakabo and Stanley Eguma go face-to-face as Rivers United face Abia Warriors in Okigwe while Rangers will entertain Nasarawa United in a happy hunting ground for the Solid Miners, Nnewi. Heartland are home to Lobi Stars
Wednesday’s Results
Niger Tornadoes 1-0 Sunshine Stars
Kwara United 1-0 Enyimba
MFM 1-0 Katsina United
Remo Stars 0-1 Akwa United
Plateau Utd 3-1 Shooting Stars
Wikki Tourists 2-1 Kano Pillars
Thursday’s Fixtures
Dakkada FC vs Gombe United
Rangers International vs Nasarawa United
Abia Warriors vs Rivers United
Heartland vs Lobi Stars
-npfl
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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