Nigerian Football
Surprising! No teammate ever added to Muda Lawal’s goals
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
It is 32 years today since former Nigerian midfield maestro, Muda Lawal passed on.
In the Nigerian national team matches of the 1970s and 1980s, there was something intriguing about goals scored by Muda Lawal who died 32 years ago today.
Sports Village Square observed that they were usually the last for the teams he played for! His first Africa Cup of Nations’ goal was in 1976 against Guinea. It turned to be Nigeria’s only goal of the match that was drawn 1-1.
But the goal that drew the best applause was the winner against Egypt in a classification duel of the 1976 tournament.
It was a magnificent solo effort and backbreaking exploit against the Egyptians in the battle for the third place position of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations.
In the 85th minute of the game, score-line stood at 2-2 and there was intense Egyptian pressure on Nigeria’s defence for a possible winning goal.
Apparently to douse tension on his defence, Joseph Erico, the Nigerian goalkeeper, sent a long kick to Muda Lawal who was lurking half way near the left line.
Like lightening, the wing half –turned attacker tapped the ball over a challenging Egypt’s Ibrahim Youssef and raced away.
Exhibiting superb ball control, coolness and magnificent footwork, Muda set the on-rushing Egyptian goalkeeper, El-Sharet Sharaf, to the wrong way, and not losing a step, he outwitted the left half-back, Ali Hassan and finally slotted the ball beyond the desperate outstretched legs of right back, Sallah Sallah who was then guarding the goal mouth.
What a beautiful goal that gave Nigeria a 3-2 win. It was Muda Lawal’s first continental honour. Later in 1976, he was a member of the African Winners’ Cup successful squad of the IICC Shooting Stars.
Another third-place medal with Nigeria in the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations before a winning medal of 1980 all added to the laurels of Muda Lawal.
But the peculiarity of his goals was that they turned to be the last for his teams. In other word, when Muda scored, no team-mate added to it.
The only match that appeared to be an exception was when a goal was wrongly officially attributed to him. That was in the opening match of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations in Lagos in the Nigeria’s 3-1 defeat of Tanzania.
The opening goal of the match was attributed to Muda. But a video forensic analysis revealed that Aloysius Atuegbu scored the goal and that Muda Lawal along with Okey Isima only joined in the celebration.
In other instances, that Muda opened scoring; the matches were either drawn or lost by Nigeria. In 1976 Africa Cup of Nations’ second round match with Guinea in Dire Dawa, Muda opened scoring in the 52nd minute, but almost at the dot of regulation time, Papa Camara equalized for Guinea.
Sports Village Square also recalled that the scenario was the same when Muda opened scoring for Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier against Tanzania in Lagos in December 1980, the match ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw.
When he scored, it appeared there was an unwritten rule: “it had to be the last for his team”. In other instances, he closed scoring for his side as it happened in a 5-0 defeat for Benin Republic in 1979, 3-0 defeat of Algeria and Liberia in 1980 and 1981 respectively.
It was not a huge surprise therefore, when Muda opened scoring against Cameroon in the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations final match in Abidjan. No Nigerian was able to add to the 10th minute goal. Nigeria lost 3-1.
What was more, it was the first time Cameroon national team ever beat Nigeria having been dominated by the then Green Eagles in previous 10 encounters – three of which ended in phenomenal defeat of Cameroon in Yaoundé.
Perhaps one of the most remarkable goals Muda scored was against the then IICC Shooting Stars, the team that brought him into prominence. After he left the club following the team’s disbandment in 1984, he had a stint with Stationery Stores of Lagos.
With Shooting Stars battling in the murky waters of relegation in the then Nigeria National League in 1985, they played the match that confined them into relegation as Muda Lawal scored the crucial goal for Stores at the waterfront Onikan Stadium. He burst into tears after the match.
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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