Nigerian Football
Newman’s Goal Moves Akwa Utd to Third Spot
BY MFON PATRICK.
Akwa United’s dream of going continental next season is still on curse as the team cruised to third place on the Nigeria Professional Football League table following a 1-0 victory over Enyimba at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Sunday.
In-form striker, Musa Newman, was the hero as he scored the only goal of the crucial encounter in the 15th minute tucking in Ubong Friday’s excellent cross.
It was his fourth goal in four matches and his seventh. The goal was enough to secure the three precious points for the Promise Keepers who have now gone unbeaten in 14 matches at the Nest of Champions.
A blistering start by both teams witnessed lots of attacking play but defenders at both ends of the field were in their right element to deny all forms of early penetrations.
Akwa United players and the coaching crew were highly motivated going into the game following the presentation of Award of Excellence to Coach Abdul Maikaba and midfielder Alhassan Ibrahim as manager and player of the month of April by the League Bloggers shortly before the start of the epic encounter.
Persistent attacking football by Coach Maikaba’s boys backed up by vocal supporters paid off nicely in the 15th minute after some brilliant exchange of passes in the midfield orchestrated by Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Cyril Olisema and Alhassan Ibrahim, picked out Friday on the left wing. The winger delivered a clever cross inside the six yard box for Newman to score the all important goal.
After the early goal, the Promise Keepers pushed hard to double their lead but their efforts yielded no dividends just as the visitors’ attempts to equalise were constantly checked by the water-tight defence marshalled by Captain Otobong Effiong, Ariwachukwu Emmanuel, Godspower Igudia and Kodjovi Dadzie.
Despite both teams throwing everything forward and making three substitutions each in the second half, the score line remained unchanged as the 2015 Federation Cup champions held on to record their 12th victory of the season.
The win moved Akwa United to third position on the log with 43 points from 26 matches with one match still outstanding. The Uyo based side will next engage league leaders Plateau United this weekend in Jos.
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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