Nigerian Football
There’s No Stopping Plateau United, Swears Golbe
BY ANDREW RANDA.
When it rains, it pours says the adage and this can be used to describe Plateau United’s captain Elisha Golbe.
Much unheralded in his career and under the radar for a better part of it, he is on the cusp of being a Nigerian league champion-in fact, if Plateau can get a point against Rangers International on Sunday, Golbe will lift the trophy as captain.
It will be a season of blessings for the bulky defender who can also play in midfield. He’s gone double Dutch after being handed his first ever national call-up at any level by Salisu Yusuf’s CHAN team and now, it is just days away from having a title ring.
Golbe is soft spoken and calm a demeanour that betrays his bulky frame. However, on the field of play, he turns into a warrior who is ready to defend the colours of the ‘Sai United’.
An integral part of the team from the start of the season, he has led his troops to the brink of lifting the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) title in only their second season back to the top flight.
Not only a leader in the team, he has also contributed his fair share of goals-four of them-via set pieces to aid Plateau United’s quest for a first ever league title in the club’s history.
Npfl.ng caught up with Golbe in Jos as he prepared for the big finale on Saturday against Rangers, a game, he said, will be like a cup final to him and his team-mates.
“We are battle ready, we are looking forward to lifting the league title and by God’s grace we shall do so on Saturday,” he told npfl.ng.
“The game against Rangers is like a cup final for us and we are taking it very seriously. We have not come this far to miss out on the trophy.
“Everybody is in high spirits for the match on Saturday because it is a very important match for us. I think everybody is prepared for the match.
“Come Sunday by the special grace of God, we are going to give our best and make sure that we get the three points and get crowned the champions of the 2016/17 NPFL season,”.
He also revealed that winning the title will be fulfilling a dream he has had since he became a professional footballer.
“Winning the title this season is going to be a great achievement to all of us because it is the pride of every player to win it because when you are playing professional football, you always dream that one day you will become a champion.
“Thank God, it is a dream coming true. It will mean a lot to us to win the Premier League this season.”Golbe added.
League leaders Plateau United will host Rangers International of Enugu in a Match Day 38 game of the Nigeria Professional Football League.
The Jos side will be crowned champions if they avoid defeat irrespective of the outcome of the game in Maiduguri between El-Kanemi Warriors and MFM of Lagos.
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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