Nigerian Football
DR Congo are the sixth to progress to World Cup qualifiers play-off round
The Democratic Republic of Congo are through to the play-off round of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after edging Benin 2-0 in a Group J top of the table clash in Kinshasa. They thus join Senegal, Congo DR, Egypt, Mali and Morocco.
The victory took Les Leopards to 11 points, top of the group while Benin finished second, just one point behind. Meanwhile in the other group match, Tanzania and Madagascar played to a 1-1 draw.
Heading to this fixture, Benin just needed a point in the Congolese capital to get themselves into the play-off round, but found themselves pegged back after just 10 minutes.
Dieumerci Mbokani converted from the penalty spot after he was pulled back inside the area.
The Congolese held on to the lead, failing to net in a second despite having some chances.
In the second half, Benin came back with strategy to get themselves into the game and were on attack mode from the restart.
They came close four minutes after the restart when Jodel Dossou weaved his way into the box, but his eventual shot hit the side netting.
The Beninese side kept pushing, knowing just a draw was enough to push them a step closer to a dream place in Qatar.
But, their hopes were skinned off with quarter of an hour left when Ben Malango headed home from the edge of the six yard box after rising to meet a Dieumerci Amale cross from the right.
DR Congo managed the game neatly to ensure they guarded their victory and earn a ticket to the play-offs.
Madagascar 1-1 Tanzania
At the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium in Antananarivo, home side Madagascar fought from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Tanzania, with the two sides already out of contention. The result sees Tanzania finish third in the group with eight points while Madagascar are bottom with four.
Tanzania got into the lead in the 25th minute when Saimon Msuva scored his fourth goal of the qualifiers with a neat finish off a Salum Feisal pass.
Madagascar were rejuvenated in the second half and Hakim Abdallah forced Metacha Mnata to a good save in the 57th minute when he nodded in a strong header from Loic Lapoussin’s cross.
Paolon Voavy also came close 20 minutes to time just a few seconds after coming on when he was put through by a brilliant Fabrice Rakotondraibe backheel, but is shot was wayward.
They however got the much needed goal in the 74th minute when Abdallah fired in a volley from inside the box after the Tanzanian backline failed to clear away a Lapoussin freekick from the left.
Madagascar had to finish the match with 10 men when Pascal Razakanantenaina was sent off for a second yellow card for fouling Msuva at the edge of the box. From the resultant freekick, Novatus Dismas saw his freekick crack against the bar.
Zimbabwe 1-1 Ethiopia
Elsewhere, Ethiopia played to a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe in a dead rubber Group G fixture. Kudakwashe Mahachi gave Zimbabwe a 36th minute lead before Abubeker Nasir equalized for the Ethiopians with three minutes to play.
Ethiopia finish the group phase with five points while Zimbabwe finish bottom with two points.
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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