Nigerian Football
Remo Stars record Match Day 11 only away victory
Remo Stars of Ikenne recorded the only away win in the Match Day 11 of the Nigeria Professional League even as Bendel Insurance hold on tenaciously to the top of the log in Group A. The Benin City side played a 1-1 draw with the visiting Akwa United and remain unbeaten after 11 matches.
In Maiduguri, Remo Stars who slipped midway in the first stanza of the league appear to have regained their winning spirit as they led 2-0 in the regulation time before relegation threatened El Kanemi pulled a goal back in the fifth of the eight added time of the encounter.
The 2-1 win and the results of some other matches catapaulted the Ikenne domiciled club from fifth to the second place on the league table.
Lanky Andy Okpe shot Remo Stars ahead in the 56th minute. Junior Nduka doubled the lead in the 80th minute from a direct free kick before the hosts reduced the tally five minutes into the added time.
In Benin, Bendel Insurance continued their dominant form, although they played a 1-1 draw at home in their encounter with Akwa United.
They opened the game in a business-like manner as Imade Osehenkhoe scored after three minutes. Cyril Olisema however cancelled the lead in the 34th minute.
In Aba, Enyimba did not get the full dividends of home advantage as they were forced to a 1-1 draw by visiting Nasarawa United.
They went ahead in the 14th minute through a penalty kick converted by Chukwuemeka Obioma. Nasaraw United levelled up in the 74th minute through Emanuel Ogboli.
Gombe United at home beat Kwara United 1-0. Anayor Ogbona scored the goal in the 37th minute.
Shooting Stars are gradually inching their ways back to the top with a 3-2 defeat of Plateau United. They fought from behind after Adam Yakubu Hassan shot the visitors ahead in the 22nd minute.
Samuel Ayorinde levelled up in the 43rd minute and put the hosts ahead in the 49th minute. Ismael Faulke increased the tally to 3-1 in the 60th minute before the visitors reduced the tally in added time.
In Group B, Abia Warriors beat Enugu Rangers 2-1. while Niger Tornadous beat Wikki Tourists 2-0. Sunshine Stars were held to a 1-1 draw by Doma United.
The Lobi Stars versus Rivers United match is postponed.
Week 11 Results
Group A
- Bendel Insurance 1-1 Akwa United
- El Kanemi Warriors 1-2 Remo Stars
- Enyimba 1-1 Nasarawa United
- Gombe United 1-0 Kwara United
- Shooting Stars 3-2 Plateau United
Group B
- Abia Warriors 2-1 Enugu Rangers
- Dakkada 1-1 Bayelsa United
- Niger Tornadoes 2-0 Wikki Tourists
- Sunshine Stars 1-1 Doma United
- Lobi Stars vs. Rivers United – postponed
Nigerian Football
Enugu Rangers crumble at home in seven-goal thriller with Kano Pillars
Nigerian champions, Enugu Rangers have been beaten 4-3 by visiting Kano Pillars in the Match Day 7 of the Nigeria Premier Football League.
The visitors went into the lead in 15th minute when Rabiu Ali converted a penalty kick. They doubled the lead in the 28th minute through Zulkifilu Rabiu before Rabiu Ali extended the lead to 3-0 in the 37th minute after converting another penalty kick.
The game turned into a nightmare for Rangers as Ahmed Musa made it 4-0 in the first minute of the added time.
Rangers began a fight back in the opening minutes of the second half as Isaac Saviour pulled a goal back in the 47th minute. Twelve minute later he scored a second goal to reduce the tally to 4-2. Emmanuel Silas Nenrot made the score line a more respectable for Rangers when he scored a third goal in the added time.
Nigerian Football
Season’s first win for Akwa United and Ikorodu City
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.
Nigerian Football
Behold! Nigeria Football’s October 8 Magic
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.
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