Nigerian Football
Last season’s top three begin quest for NPL honours
Enyimba, Remo Stars and Rivers United, the podium finishers at the last season’s Nigeria premier League play-off begin action this Sunday hoping victories in their first matches this season.
The trio had their Match Day 1 fixtures postponed owing to continental engagements of Rivers United who were to host Remo Stars and also that of Bendel Insurance who were to be away to Enyimba.
The three teams are back in action playing their Match Day 2. Remo Stars host Enugu Rangers in Ikenne in what could be the toughest match of the week.
When both met in May 2021 Remo Stars won 1-0. The reversed leg in Enugu ended goalless.
That may have informed Rangers’ coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu’s anticipation of a tough match. Last season, he led Plateau United to the same stadium and was able to get away with a draw.
He is quoted by Punch newspapers as acknowledging the tough challenge by Remo Stars, but he is optimistic that starting the season with a win over Doma United have lifted their spirits.
Instead of their normal practice of honouring away matches by travelling by road, Enugu Rangers took a flight to Lagos and then embarked on the short trip to Ikenne.
Remo Stars who have in the past three seasons been having steady rise in Nigerian football scene are hopeful to win the title this time. In the previous season, they finished third on the log.
Last season, they were runners-up. This might be their season if the steady growth is maintained.
Writing on Platform X (previously Twitters), Remo Stars’ coach, Daniel Ogunmodede hopes to begin their title chase on a winning note.
“We are fully focused and ready to kick off the 2023/2024 NPFL season with a bang. Let’s make history, one game at a time.”
For Rivers United, Nigeria’s sole survivor in the continental venture, the team hope to keep the momentum as they face Niger Tornadoes. They also hope to maintain their unbeaten record against the Minna side. Niger Tornadoes lost their opening match by a lone goal to Abia Warriors on Match Day 1. Another loss, this time at home may spell doom for them.
Defending champions, Enyimba will be away to Gombe United. When they met in May this year, Enyimba beat Gombe 5-0 in Aba. In the earlier leg, Enyimba also won 2-1 to make it a double over the Niger State team.
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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