Nigerian Football
Return of Old Brigades Thrills Former Nigerian Internationals
BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.
Former Nigerian internationals are thrilled with the recall of experienced players for the all important back-to-back World Cup qualifying duels Nigeria will play with Cameroon in the next few days.
Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr Tuesday evening released a list of players that include Skipper Mikel Obi and Victor Moses, two glaring absentees in the previous matches since Nigeria defeated Algeria last November.
Both Benedict Akwegbu and Dimeji Lawal have hailed the recall of both players
Akwegbu and Lawal in a telephone conversation with Sport Village Square believe that Mikel and Moses will certainly add more bite to the offensive strategies of the Super Eagles who need outright victory to steer clear ahead of all the other three teams in Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying group.
A defeat of Cameroon in Uyo next week Friday will certainly almost put Nigeria’s eastern neighbours out of contention as a seven-point gap would have been established ahead of the return leg match four days later.
Akwegbu, a Scotland 1989 Golden Eaglets emeritus and member of the Super Eagles at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations remarked that Nigeria will need all its best talents to overcome the Cameroonians who are known for their enduring fighting spirits.
“I have been waiting so long to see the calibre of players Nigeria will unleash on Cameroon and I am glad to see the likes of Victor Moses and Mikel Obi making the list. Take it or leave it, the dup remain the best players we are currently parading and I believe with their experience and impact on the pitch, Nigeria will gain the maximum point,” remarked Akwegbu
In a similar vein, Dimeji Lawal who featured for Nigeria at the under 16 level in Canada 30 years ago and later in the early 1990s played for the Super Eagles told Sports Village square that he was confident Mikel’s presence would unsettle the Cameroonians.
“I think it is high time we showed the world our supremacy over the Cameroonians. It is going to be a great cracker and I see Nigeria gaining the maximum points”, remarked Dimeji Lawal.
Apart from Mikel and Moses, another returnee to the squad is Odion Ighalo.
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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