Nigerian Football
Nigerians Take to the Field as UEFA Leagues Enter Group Stage
As the 2017/2018 UEFA Champions League and Europa League gather momentum across Europe from this Tuesday, Sports Village Square presents the Nigerians who will be showcasing their skills across the various fields in Europe.
Victor Moses, Chelsea
Leading the pack of Nigeria’s ambassadors to the most followed continental league in the world is the mercurial Victor Moses. He is expected to take the splendid form he exhibited at the back-to-back World Cup encounters with Cameroon to the Group C UEFA Champions League home tie with Qarabag of Azerbaijan.
It is the first ever encounter that Chelsea will be having with the Azerbaijan opponents. It is also Qarabag’s debut in the UEFA Champions’ League Group stage while Chelsea is having its 15th entry.
Aaron Samuel Olanere, CSKA Moscow
Aaron Samuel Olanere, the 23 year old Super Eagles player may not have had ample playing time with Nigeria recently since his scoring debut against Sudan on October 15, 2014, this Tuesday will enable him display his talents when his CSKA Moscow side take on Portugal’s Benfica in Lisbon.
He was called up as an unused last minute replacement for injured Alex Iwobi of Arsenal for the recent Nigerian World Cup qualifying matches with Cameroon.
Sports Village Square gathered from UEFA that Olanere took full part in the training by the Russian side and therefore in contention to start the league duel with Benfica.
If featured, he will be wearing the unfamiliar shirt number 99. He will not be the first Nigerian in the CSKA UEFA Champions League side as Olanere will be treading the path earlier taken by Ahmed Musa.
Henry Onyekuru, Anderlecht
Sports Village Square recalls that Henry Onyekuru will be walking the path previously taken by the late Nigerian former captain and coach, Stephen Keshi as he laces his boots for Belgium’s Anderlecht in UEFA Champions’ League Group B away clash with Germany’s Bayern Munich.
Onyekuru took full part in the training by the Belgian side and therefore in contention to start the match at Fußball Arena München.
It is the first time that Onyekuru’s club will be in the group stage since the 2014/15 Season.
Nura Abdullahi, AS Roma
Unlike Victor Moses and Onyekuru who will likely play key roles for their clubs in the Champions’ League opening games, Abdullahi is almost a confirmed absentee. The Rio 2016 Nigerian footballer did not take part in the most recent training sessions for his Italian club, AS Roma which will be hosts to Atletico Madrid in Group C.
In fact, he is yet to feature in the two-week old Serie A matches.
Sunny Omoregie, N.K Maribor, Slovenia
In the same situation with Abdullahi is Sunny Omoregie of Maribor which faces Spartak in Group E on Wednesday. The Nigerian is not listed in the club’s squad for this season’s Champions League.
Theophilus Solomon, FK Partizan
Partizan Belgrade forward, Theophilus Solomon who joined the Serbian giant on August 12 2017 on a long season loan deal with the option of permanent transfer at the end of the season.
May likely feature when the club takes on Young Boys of Switzerland on Thursday. Sports Village Square gathered that the Nigerian who will be putting on jersey number 77 took part in all training session ahead of the game and is in contention to start the game.
Alex Iwobi, Arsenal
Arsenal has found a new domain in the less European league, the Europa Cup. But it will be without Alex Iwobi who appears not registered for the competition. In a similar situation is another player of Nigerian origin, Tolaji Bola whose name, like that of Iwobi is asterisked as belonging to the Arsenal FC Academy.
Imoh Ezekiel, Konyaspor, Turkey
But when Turkey’s Konyaspor take on Marseille on Thursday, Nigeria’s Imoh Ezekiel will likely be listed. Sports Village Square gathered from UEFA that Ezekiel participated in all training sessions ahead of the Europa Cup encounter.
His club however has a huge mountain to climb in Marseille as Konyaspor is yet to win a match in six outings in the continent. In previous outings, the Turkish side lost five and drew one.
Segun James Adeniyi, KF Skënderbeu
Segun Adeniyi is another Nigerian to watch out for when Albanian club, KF Skënderbeu take on Dynamos Kiev on Thursday in the Europa Cup Group B tie. If featured, he will wear shirt number 78. Sports Village Square can confirm that the Nigerian who scored 23 goals last season took paprt in all training session leading to the match.
Adeniyi will lock horns with fellow Nigeria, Theophilus Solomon when the Ueropa league Group B battle begins.
Samuel Adeniyi Adegbenro, Rosenborg F.C
Samuel Adegbenro is expected to feature for Rosenborg BK of Norway when the club face Real Sociedad in a Group L Europa Cup duel on Thursday. The native of Osogbo plays as centre forwaed and had score three goals in two outings or the club
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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