Nigerian Football
Nigerian Football League Gets to Home Stretch
BY PROMIX BLUE.
The 2016/17 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is winding down, with only six games left. This also means that the race for the title is becoming more and fiercer and it’s pretty clear that Plateau United and MFM are the front-runners with just three points separating them.
Akwa United and Enyimba are trying to make a late push for the title, but it’s looking more like a scrap for continental football next season rather than winning the league.
Let’s take a look at this weekend’s top fixtures.
MFM FC VS ENYIMBA
Apart from next week’s top of the table clash against Plateau United, this could be the weekend that makes it clear how long MFM can put the pressure on the leaders.
MFM’s 1-0 away win over Remo Stars last week kept the Olukoya Boys’ title hopes alive but they have a big test on their hands, as they face an Enyimba team – they are yet to pick a win against.
Fidelis Ilechuwku’s men are five points clear of the People’s Elephant, but the fact that Enyimba are fighting to remain in the top four, while MFM stars Stephen Odey and Sikiru Olatunbosun have been shuttling between Kano and Lagos in the last two weeks for the CHAN camp might make things dicier for the Lagos-based team.
Key Stat: MFM have the best home form this season, having won 15 and drawn one of their 16 games. The Olukoya Boys have also scored 30 goals and conceded just eight at home.
KANO PILLARS VS PLATEAU UNITED
This weekend isn’t exactly favourable to league leaders Plateau United as they face Kano Pillars at the Sani Abacha Stadium.
Kano Pillars coach Ibrahim Musa will look to make adjustments in attack as Junior Lokosa, who has struck a good partnership with Nyima Nwagua misses the first of three games after his straight red card against Enyimba.
Pillars are 10th on the log with 44 points from 31 games, while Kennedy Boboye’s Plateau are still leading the pack, having picked 58 points from 32 games.
Key Stat: (8) – Plateau United have lost the least number of games this season.
SUNSHINE VS AKWA UNITED
This is a potential banana peel for Akwa United as Sunshine Stars have fared pretty well in recent weeks.
After back-to-back away wins against ABS FC and Rivers United, even the most absurd Sunshine fan would definitely be expecting them to avoid the drop this season.
However, Abdul Maikaba’s Akwa United will be boosted by the fact that the Akure Gunners play their home games at their adopted ground in Ijebu Ode, while star player Dayo Ojo is ruled out after being sent off against Wikki Tourist last week.
Key Stat: Only Plateau United have picked more points than Sunshine Stars in the last five games, but the Akure Gunners have lost four home games this season.
OTHER FIXTURES
- Wikki Tourist vs Rangers
- Rivers United vs Katsina United
- ABS FC VS Remo Stars
- Lobi Stars vs Abia Warriors
- FC IfeanyiUbah vs Nasarawa United
- Niger Tornadoes vs El Kanemi Warriors
- 3SC VS Gombe United
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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