Nigerian Football
Lobi Stars’ Long Standing Unbeaten Home Record Broken
BY PROMIX BLUE.
The high point of the Week 33 of the Nigerian Professional Football League was the breaking of a long standing home record of one of the 20 clubs. Lobi Stars of Makurdi had been unbeaten at home for a long time. That came to an abrupt end on Sunday.
LOBI STARS 2-4 ABIA WARRIORS
Abia Warriors ended Lobi Stars’ 80-game unbeaten home run in the league with a 4-2 defeat of the home side in Makurdi. Veteran Anthony Okemiri scored one and provided an assist for another, while striker Sunday Adetunji scored his 13th and 14th league goals for Abia Warriors before being stretchered off after he picked up a season-ending hand injury. Meanwhile, Kingsley Eduwo scored Lobi’s goals to take his league tally to 12.
MFM 0-0 ENYIMBA
Seven-time champions, Enyimba held second-placed MFM to a barren draw at the Agege Stadium. It’s the fourth consecutive time both teams had ended their head-to-head confrontation without a winner.
FC IFEANYIUBAH 1-0 NASARAWA UNITED
Seka Pascal’s solitary strike in the 17th minute was all FC IfeanyiUbah needed to claim all the points at stake against Nasarawa United at the FC IfeanyiUbah International Stadium Nnewi.
ABS FC 2-0 REMO STARS
Goals by Samuel Oyedeji and Wasiu Alalade ensured ABS FC beat Remo Stars 2-0 to temporarily move out of the relegation zone.
NIGER TORNADOES 1-0 EL-KANEMI
Bolaji Adeyemo’s second half effort was the match-winner as Niger Tornadoes beat Elkanemi Warriors. Tornadoes have now kept clean sheets in their last eight home games.
SHOOTING STARS 2-1 GOMBE UTD
The home side, 3SC came from a goal down to beat Gombe United 2-1 courtesy goals by Nojeem Olukokun and Seun Akinyemi.
The win takes the Oluyole Warriors out of the relegation zone.
KANO PILLARS 1-1 PLATEAU UTD
Leaders, Plateau United consolidated on top spot with a 1-1 draw against Kano Pillars at the Sani Abacha Stadium. Ibeh Johnson gave the Peace Boys the lead in the first half before Hamza Abba Tiya equalised for Pillars in the 2nd half.
SUNSHINE STARS 1-0 AKWA UNITED
Ajibola Otegbeye’s first half penalty secured a 1-0 win for Sunshine Stars against Akwa United
WIKKI TOURIST 1-1 RANGERS
The game between Wikki Tourist and Rangers ended in controversy as the match officials were physically assaulted while the Rangers team was held hostage after the game.
Bright Silas gave Rangers the lead before Chinedu Onyelonu got Wikki’s equaliser.
Key Stat: (6) Abia Warriors’ Sunday Adetunji is the player with the most away goals this season.
ALL THE WEEKEND’S RESULTS
MFM 0-0 Enyimba
Kano Pillars 1-1 Plateau United
FC Ifeanyiubah 1-0 Nasarawa
ABS FC 2-0 Remo Stars
Lobi Stars 2-4 Abia Warriors
Tornadoes 1-0 El-kanemi
Shooting 2-1 Gombe
Sunshine 1-0 Akwa
Wikki Tourist 1-1 Rangers
TOP SCORERS
18- Stephen Odey (MFM)
14- Tony Okpotu (Lobi Stars)
14- Sunday Adetunji (Abia Warriors)
12- Samuel Mathias (El-Kanemi Warriors)
12- AlHassan Ibrahim (Akwa United)
12- Kingsley Eduwo (Lobi Stars)
CLEAN SHEETS
13- Suraj Ayeleso (Nasarawa United)
13- Mustapha Aliko (Tornadoes)
12- Olorunleke Ojo (Akwa 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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