International Football
BRYAN IDOWU IS NIGERIA’S 59TH SCORING DEBUTANT
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Bryan Idowu who scored the goal that shot Nigeria ahead in the Tuesday’s match with Argentina has become the 59th Nigerian international to find the net in first appearance.
Idowu, a defender with FC Amkar Perm in the Russian Premier League, was a second half substitute for Ola Aina who was having his third outing in Nigeria’s colours.
Fourteen minutes after his introduction, the defender surged forward to put Nigeria ahead after Alex Iwobi had levelled the score line for Nigeria.
His impressive performance could be an indication of what should be expected from him in the days leading to the World Cup that will be competed for in his country of abode.
A resident of Russia, Idowu is of Nigerian decent, having a full blooded Nigerian father and half Nigerian, half Russian mother. He was born and raised in Russia except for the period he was aged three to six when he lived in Owerri, Nigeria.
He may have compounded the selection headaches for Coach Rohr who will be seriously be thinking of how to accommodate the player that was not part of the qualifying series.
The impressive well-built defender with attacking instinct has now joined the rank of other notable Nigerian players – Obafemi Martins, Finidi George, Uche Okechukwu, Thompson Usiyan and Matthias Obianika among others who scored in the very first time they played for Nigeria.
It has been long that a previously uncapped player found the net. Peter Utaka and Osas Idehen did score for a second string Nigerian side of 2010 in the 5-2 demolition of Congo DR in a friendly tie in Abuja.
Iwobi too missed being a scoring debutant has his first goal for Nigeria after having been substitute in two previous matches with Congo and Cameroon in friendly matches played in Vise, Belgium in October 2015.
The first scoring debutant for Nigeria was Tesilimi Balogun, in whose name a stadium in Lagos is named. It was against Sierra Leone in both countries’ maiden international duel on October 8, 1949, that he achieved his feat.
The last time Nigeria presented the full complement of its national team in Lagos was 2001 in an African Nations Cup qualifier. Victor Agali, having his first cap, scored the solitary goal of the encounter.
Obafemi Martins was also another scoring debutant when he found the net in Nigeria’s 3-0 demolition of Republic of Ireland in a friendly game on May 29, 2004 in London.
Barely six months later, Ayodele Makinwa joined the exclusive club when he score Nigeria’s only goal in a 2-1 loss to South Africa on the occasion of Mandela Challenge tie in Johannesburg. That was the first time South Africa scored and beat Nigeria.
NIGERIA’S SCORING DEBUTANTS
PLAYER MATCH/ DATE VENUE
- Balogun Tesilimi Sierra Leone October 8, 1949 Freetown
- Okoh Friday – 2 goals Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Asoluka Cyril Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Anieke Peter Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Okere Titus Gold Coast October 20, 1951 Lagos
- Okwudili Daniel Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Longe Julius Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Ejoh Hubert Gold Coast October 27, 1956 Lagos
- Noquapor Patrick – 2goals v. Ghana October 27, 1957 Accra
- Ijeomah Isaac Ghana October 27, 1957 Accra
- Buraimoh Abudu – 2Goals v. Ghana October 25, 1958 Lagos
- Onyali Elkana v. Ghana October 10, 1959 Lagos
- Ohiri Christopher v. Ghana October 10, 1959 Lagos
- Chukwumah Egwuonu v. Tunisia December 10, 1961 Tunis
- Egbuonu Johnny v. Cameroon January 1, 1963, Yaounde
- Udemezue Chris v. Cameroon January 1, 1963, Yaounde
- Olatunji Lasisi v. Guinea July 27, 1963 Lagos
- Anieke Sunday v. Gabon August 28, 1965 Libreville
- Mordi Bobo v. Gabon August 28, 1965 Libreville
- Olowo-Oshodi Samsideen v. Congo November 5, 1966 Lagos
- Aghoghovbia Joe v. Cameroon December 10, 1968 Lagos
- Obianika Mathias – 2 Goals v. Upper Volta November 27, 1971 Lagos
- Oyarekhua Sunny v. Upper Volta November 27, 1971 Lagos
- Popoola Ben v. Cote d’Ivoire July 18, 1974 Lagos
- Ibeabuchi Ogidi v. Ghana August 24, 1974 Accra
- Usiyen Thompson v. Kenya February 7, 1976 Nairobi
- Godwin Iwelumo v. Benin February 14, 1977 Lagos
- Onwuachi Martins v. Benin October 14, 1978 Cotonou
- Boateng Leotis v. Tunisia July 12, 1980 Lagos
- Emmanuel Osigwe v. Tunisia July 12,1980,Lagos
- Nwokocha Chris v. Tanzania Dec. 20, 1980 Dar-es-Salam
- Ali Bala v. Upper Volta July 18, 1981 Lagos
- Adeshina Ademola v. Ethiopia March 7, 1982 Benghazi
- Omughele John v. Ghana October 30, 1983 Accra
- Sadi Dahiru v. Kenya April 20, 1985 Lagos
- Balarabe Abubakar v. Guinea April 9, 1989 Conakry
- Adekola Adeolu v. Guinea April 22, 1989 Ibadan
- Oyekanmi Taju v. Cote d’Ivoire January 25, 1990 Kaduna
- Okechukwu Uche v. Cote d’Ivoire January 25, 1990 Kaduna
- Lawal Dimeji v. Togo August 18, 1990 Lagos
- Finidi George v. Burkina Faso July 27, 1991 Lagos
- Taiwo Wasiu v. USA June 11, 1995 Boston
- Fatusi Tesilimi v. Czech Rep. Dec, 11, 1996 Casablanca
- Zeigbo Kenneth v. Cameroon August 7, 1997 Tunis
- Garba Ahmed v. Iran Jan. 28, 1998 Hong Kong
- Aghahowa Julius v. Morocco February 3, 2000 Lagos
- Ishola Shuaibu v. Malawi June 4, 2000 Kano
- Agali Victor v. Zambia January 13, 2001 Lagos
- Opabunmi Femi v. Kenya May 4, 2002 Lagos
- Ogochukwu Ileagwu v. Senegal October 12, 2002 Dakar
- Ogechukwu Uche v. Ghana December 15, 2002 Accra
- Akwueme Emeka v. Jordan April 28, 2004 Lagos
- Martins Obafemi v. Ireland May 29, 2004 London
- Makinwa Ayodele v. South Africa Nov. 17, 2004 Johannesburg
- Akabueze Chukwuma v. Kenya May 27, 2007 Nairobi
- Peter Utaka v. Congo DR March 3, 2010 Abuja
- Osas Idehen v. Congo DR March 3, 2010 Abuja
- Ehiosun Ekigho v. Sierra Leone February 9, 2011, Lagos
- Bryan Idowu Argentina, November 14, 2017
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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By Kunle Solaja
Match Context
- Fixture: Jordan vs Nigeria
- Venue: Antalya, Turkey
- Occasion: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
- Kick-off: Tuesday (evening)
They would have loved facing Jamaica in Mexico today for a place at the World Cup, but fate has other plans, and Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be taking on World Cup debutants Jordan in a friendly match instead in Turkey.
The encounter promises to be a revealing contest for both sides as preparations intensify for future global assignments.
The encounter, staged as part of a four-nation tournament in Turkey, will be the third meeting between the two countries, with the head-to-head record finely poised.
History Beckons in Third Meeting
Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory in their first clash at the National Stadium, Lagos, on 28 April 2004 during the LG Cup.
However, the tables turned in 2013 when a largely experimental Nigerian side under the late Stephen Keshi suffered a 1-0 defeat in Amman, courtesy of a Hatem Aqel penalty.
This latest meeting now serves as the decider in what has quietly become a balanced rivalry.
Jordan arrive in buoyant mood, riding on the crest of a historic achievement, which is their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026).
Jordan’s Al-Nashama
Their recent form underlines a team growing in confidence and tactical discipline. In the past months, Al-Nashama have:
- Held Russia (0-0)
- Defeated Dominican Republic (3-0)
- Drawn with Mali (0-0)
- Narrowly lost to Bolivia (1-0) and Albania (4-2)
- Pushed Tunisia (3-2 loss) in a competitive encounter
They also opened this invitational tournament with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, further evidence of their resilience.
The team’s preparations have been boosted by a morale-lifting visit from Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, during their Antalya training camp.
Coach Jamal Al-Salami has deliberately scheduled matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, citing their stylistic similarity to World Cup opponents such as Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.
Despite missing several key players, including star forward Mousa Ta’mari, Jordan have continued to show depth, blending senior players with youth prospects as part of a broader developmental strategy.
Nigeria head into the clash with renewed confidence after a 2-1 victory over Iran in their opening game of the tournament, with goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
Unlike previous meetings, the Super Eagles are expected to field a full-strength squad, packed with Europe-based stars, something Jordanian observers have already described as a “heavyweight challenge.”
The squad boasts a blend of experience and attacking flair.
The presence of multiple attacking options gives Nigeria a clear edge going forward, while their physicality and pace could pose serious problems for the Jordanians.
Jordan are expected to adopt a compact, disciplined shape, relying on quick transitions and defensive organisation, qualities that earned them results against stronger opposition in recent friendlies.
Nigeria, by contrast, will likely dominate possession, using width and individual brilliance to break down Jordan’s defensive lines.
The key battle may lie in midfield, where Jordan’s structure will be tested against Nigeria’s blend of strength, technique, and tempo.
For Jordan, this is another step in fine-tuning a squad preparing for its historic World Cup debut—a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition.
For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to assert authority, build cohesion among its star-studded squad, and maintain momentum ahead of more competitive fixtures.
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