Nigerian Football
Remo Stars beat Enugu Rangers to remain atop of NPFL
Remo Stars retain their top position in the Nigeria Premier League table after beating Enugu Rangers 2-1 in Ikenne on Sunday.
In doing so, they stretched their unbeaten run to four matches. They were almost making it a clean slate but for the penalty kick awarded Enugu Rangers which turned out to be the first goal they conceded this season
In what was a battle of the two top sides of last season, the game lived up to expectations as both sides thrilled the crowd with entertaining football.
After an early exchange of passes, Remo Stars steadily gained control of the match but occasional threats from Enugu Rangers were warded off by Junior Nduka-led defence line thus putting goalkeeper Adebiyi Obassa virtually on holiday for the greater part of the first half.
But Enugu Rangers’ goalkeeper, Lucky Abdullahi was kept busy. But he lived to expectations as he saved many goal opportunities to end the first half at 0-0.
At that point, both Remo Stars and Enugu Rangers remained the only teams not to have conceded any goal so far this season.
But barely five minutes into the second half, former Rivers United player, Alex Oyowah broke the deadlock as he volleyed past Rangers’ goalkeeper who had the task of picking the ball from his net for the first time in four league matches.
The one-goal lead did not last for long. Remo Stars were on the receiving end in the 55th minute when goalkeeper Obassa, tripped a Rangers striker in the box which resulted in a penalty. converted Augustine Agu Kenechukwu calmly converted the spot kick to make Obassa concede his first goal in Nigeria .
Four minutes later, the crowd went into frenzy jubilation as Raymond Tochukwu fired a long-range shot that caught the hitherto agile goalkeeper Lucky Abdullahi unaware.
In the other matches of the day, Rivers United beat Enyimba 2-0 in Port Harcourt.
In Ibadan, Heartland’s woes were compounded after a 1-0 loss to Shooting Stars. El-Kanemi Warriors and Plateau United ended their duel in a 2-2 draw. Also, Niger Tornadoes and Bendel Insurance played a 1-1.
Abia Warriors secured a 2-0 win against Kano Pillars, Bayelsa United and Kwara United settled for a 1-1 draw, and Katsina United secured a 3-0 win against Lobi Stars.
NPFL RESULTS
- Remo Stars 2-1 Enugu Rangers
- Shooting Stars 1-0 Heartland
- El-Kanemi 2-2 Plateau Utd
- Rivers Utd 2-0 Enyimba
- Abia Warriors 2-0 Kano Pillars
- Bayelsa Utd 1-1 Kwara Utd
- Katsina Utd 3-0 Lobi Stars
- Ikorodu City 1-2 Nasarawa Utd
- Akwa Utd 1-2 Sunshine Stars
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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