Nigerian Football
BRAZIL 2019: GOLDEN EAGLETS BEGIN CAMPING IN ABUJA
Five –time champions Nigeria have kick-started their camping programme for the FIFA U17 World Cup finals taking place in Brazil 26th October – 17th November 2019.
The Golden Eaglets picked a ticket to the championship after finishing among the top four teams at the Africa U17 Cup of Nations held in Tanzania in April this year.
Head Coach Manu Garba has called up 52 players who have been instructed to arrive at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday, 13th August 2019.
Manu Garba was head coach of the squad that won Nigeria’s fourth title in the United Arab Emirates in 2013. The Golden Eaglets also triumphed at the 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2015 championships in China, Japan, Korea Republic and Chile respectively.
THE FULL LIST
Goalkeepers: Sunday Steven, Suleiman Shuaibu, Joseph Oluwabusola, Zubair Suleiman, Moses Aluko, Anthony Okoronkwo
Defenders: Etim Charles, Ogaga Oduko, Ferdinand Clement, David Ishaya Akulo, Shedrack Tanko, Mayowa Abayomi, Kelvin Agho, Dahiru Yusuf, Adeniyi Timilehin, Ismaila Salaudeen, Usman Mohammed, Emeka Egbu
Midfielders: Samson Tijani, Alfred Olaniyan, Ibrahim Jabaar, Fawaz Abdullahi, Shuaibu Abdulrazak, Peter Agba, Muyideen Oyindamola, Suleiman Lawal, Longbak Kling Shak, Damilola Adeyeye, Ajir Sesugh, Gotee Ntignee
Forwards: Akinkunmi Amoo, Olakunle Olusegun, Wisdom Ubani, Divine Nwachukwu, Mubarak Gata, Adrien Akande, Etim Friday Ubi, Haruna Lawal, Egesionu Suporu, Sunusi Ibrahim, Samson Komolafe, Ismail Ayodele, Ogunkoya Paul, Iniobong Okon, Opeyemi Qudus, Tobi Adeleke, Oluebube Oguduba, Usman Abba, Odeh David Emeka, Gideon Okon Asuquo, Bashar Issa Olatunji, Mohammed Dikko
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.
Nigerian Football
Rivers flow to the top!
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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