Nigerian Football
New dawn in Nigeria football league as away teams hold dominance
The complexion of the Nigeria Premier Football League took a different colouration as the match day 1 of the projected 18-day competition was concluded this Sunday.
Of the 10 matches, three ended in victories for the away teams while in four others, the away teams pulled off valuable points, drawing their games with the hosts.
Remo Stars of Ikenne and Rivers United were the only home teams that secured victories.
In fact, Rivers United had to squeeze water out of stone before they could overcome the stiff resistance put up by the visiting Lobi Stars.
Rivers United’s lifeline came from a penalty kick nine minutes into the added time which Kenechukwu Augustine Agu scored.
Rivers United, last season’s runaway champions were given a good run even after they took the lead in the 16th minute through Morice Chukwu. But the visiting Lobi Stars fought back 10 minutes into the second half when Umar Abba levelled up.
But for Rivers United’s late penalty goal, Remo Stars would have been the only home side with a comfortable victory.
They beat visiting El Kanemi 2-0. Samuel Anakwe opened scoring in the 30th minute while Ezekiel Edidong doubled the lead three minutes to regulation time.
Enugu Rangers, the team with the longest stay in the Nigeria’s first tier league having not been relegated since 1972 suffered a home defeat when they lost to visiting Abia Warriors.
Bello Lukman shot the visitors ahead in the 41st minute while Monday Yakubu added the second goal in the fourth minute of added time.
At the adopted home of Kwara United in Ibadan, they were forced to a barren draw by visiting Gombe United.
Doma, at home also suffered the same fate following their 1-1 draw with visiting Sunshine Stars.
It was a floodgate of goals as Plateau United at home battled to a 3-3 draw with a rejuvenated Shooting Stars who opened scoring in the 6th minute.
But the lead lasted for just three minutes as Emmanuel Onyebuchi levelled up in the 9th minute.
Anthony Achu Okachi launched the Shooting Stars back into the lead in the 14th minute and consolidated the lead in the 65th minute.
Plateau United then began their great fight back. Izuchukwu Chimezie reduced the tally in the 72nd minute before Onyebuchi levelled up 10 minutes later.
All match day 1 results
- Remo Stars 2-0 El Kanemi Warriors
- Rivers United 2-1 Lobi Stars
- Doma 1-1 Sunshine Stars
- Bayelsa 1-1 Dakkada
- Plateau United 3-3 Shooting Stars
- Wikki Tourists 0-2 Niger Tornadoes
- Nasarawa United 1-2 Enyimba
- Akwa United 0-2 Insurance
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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