Nigerian Football
Another Death Scare as Shooting Stars Beat Gombe United
BY JUBRIL AROWOLO.
Two weeks after Ebiaku Promise, a player of Shooting Stars slumped and had to be revived, there was another near tragedy when the club played Gombe United on Sunday.
Two weeks ago, Ebiaku collapsed during the match against Enyimba FC, before the medics revived him at the stadium’s health centre.
This time, it was not a player, but a steward who was carried away by the tension of the game. He is Awwal Mohammed an accredited steward who is also a member of the supporters’ club.
He suddenly collapsed and passed out in the 54th minute when Gombe United shocked the home crowd with a lead.
Moments before then, substitute player, Joseph Onoja had taken a shot from about 25 yards to beat badly positioned Shooting Stars’ Goalkeeper Adamu Abubakar and silenced the hitherto vociferous home fans.
In an apparent shock and disbelief, Awwal collapsed and fainted beside his colleagues who were also stunned by the goal.
He was taken out to the sideline and given medical attention that revived him.
Shooting Stars took the initiatives right from the start but the visitors’ defensive cover was resolute, kept the attacking forays of Ajani Ibrahim, Abu Azeez, and Wasiu Jimoh in checks while Gombe United goalie Hamed Yussuf was at his best with some daring saves.
At a time, Gombe United resulted into more physical game to tame the Shooting’s midfield trio of Ayobami Junior, Tayo Adebogun and Adebayo Abayomi.
This attracted the referee’s constant verbal warming and free kicks that prompted their official to encroach the pitch to harass the officials. The first half ended without any goal from either side.
Second half commenced with Gombe United coming into the game with more rigours and also deadly incursions and it was one of those that brought their goal at 54th minute.
The three changes made by Fatai Amoo added pep to the attack and this resulted to the two goals that were scored in 12 minutes.
Najeem Olukokun came in for Wasiu Jimoh, Sunday Faleye for Tayo Adebogun while Abu Azeez left for fit again Jide Apena.
Apena first touch on the ball saw him towards the goal and he was kicked in the box for a penalty call, neatly converted by Seun Akinyemi in the 74th minute of the encounter.
Spurred by the equalizer, the Oluyole Warriors kept the heats on Gombe United defence with more forays into the vital areas, the resultant corner kick from one of those successive attacks resulted in a corner kick taken straight into the path of Olukokun who blasted in a volley inside six yard box to secure the three maximum points.
The win was a vital one for the Oluyole Warriors and has taken the team out of the relegation zone.
With five matches remaining to the end of the season. The hope is high that the team will retain its premier league status at the end of the season.
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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