Shooting Stars made a major strike on Saturday evening getting valuable points as they continue their gradual rise to the top of the Nigeria Premier League table.

In a Western derby at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, where Sunshine Stars played their home match, Shooting Stars got a 1-0 away win that temporarily put them in fifth place.

Before the match, they were in the eighth position and had at a time in the season found themselves in the backwaters.

Shooting Stars last won the Nigerian league in 1998 and set a negative record of being the first Nigerian reigning champion to go into relegation the following season.

But now, they are within shouting distance of getting to the top. Great thanks to the 28th-minute strike of Otakpo Aghahowa which enabled the long-time former champions to secure full points.

Elsewhere, Lobi Stars are confined to the relegation zone after a 1-0 loss to Nasarawa United. The goal that compounded Lobi Stars woes was scored in the 12th minute by Qamar Adegoke.

France’ women’s national team, Le Bleues continue their winning run in encounters with the Super Falcons of Nigeria after a 2-1 win on Saturday night. The match marked the fourth time both teams met and all ended in victories for France.

However, the Super Falcons redeemed their image as Ifeoma Onumonu  scored Nigeria’s  goal in the added time of the first half.

The goal has entered the record books as the first Super Falcons player to score against France whose tally in encounters with Nigeria has increased to 12.

Little wonder the French coach, Laurent Bonadei remarked that his team was well in control of the match.

 “We controlled this match well, especially in the first half, despite this goal on the counterattack just before the break.

“We knew that Nigeria was a powerful and solid team. But we shot 19 times for 11 shots on target.

 “It was a convincing performance. There were some good things and some things to improve, in terms of rhythm.

“But I am also happy to have rotated and given playing time to players, young players in particular like Lou Bogaert or Alice Sombath.

The 3-4-3 allows us to play with three attackers in the centre, to be in numerical superiority. It also worked thanks to the application of the instructions.

“The defensive work and positioning were respected. The players showed a lot of intelligence and complicity.

“Personally, I feel good, but you always feel better after a victory than after a defeat. It was our first match after the first two friendlies last month, it’s interesting, we’re making a turnover..”

The match also raked up some salient statistical information. The match marked the seventh time in their 53-year history that the Les Bleues played in the city of Angers

The match was the 519th in the history of the Bleues (record: 306 wins, 92 draws, 121 losses, 1,123 bp, 498 bc). 
► 3rd match for Laurent Bonadei at the head of the Women’s A since his appointment on August 23, 2024. Record: 2 wins, 1 loss
► 14th match of the year 2024 for the French Women’s Team. Record: 9 wins, 5 losses (21 bp, 17 bc).
► 4th confrontation between France and Nigeria, since the first in June 2011. Record: 4 wins, 12 goals scored, 1 conceded
► 1st selection for Alice Sombath, starting at kick-off.
► 80th cap for Sakina Karchaoui, 90th for Grace Geyoro
► 166th appearance for Wendie Renard (39 goals), now the only 6th most capped player. The 5th, Camille Abily, has 183.
► 197th selection for Eugénie Le Sommer, now one length from the record of Sandrine Soubeyrand (198).

France’s Les Bleues were 2-1 winners over the Super Falcons of Nigeria in a turgid international friendly game played under frosty and misty weather in Angers on Saturday night.

The nine-time African champions started with some promise at the Stade Raymond Kopa, determined to take the game to the hosts. But at the other end, Marie-Antoinette Katoto had the ball in the net in the 7^th minute, only to be correctly ruled offside.

Eugenie Claudine Le Sommer, playing her 197^th match for Les Bleues, scored her 94^th international goal in the 29^th minute to put the host nation ahead. Eight minutes later, it was 2-0 after Tunisia-born Amel Majri got the ball past goalkeeper and stand-in captain Chiamaka Nnadozie.

The high point of the game, however, was Nigeria scoring her first-ever goal against the Les Bleues. From a corner kick to the hosts in added time of the first half, a long clearance from the back found Spain-based Gift Monday, who quickly found gangling Montpellier FC of France forward Ifeoma Onumonu for the latter to make history.

Without captain and big inspiration Rasheedat Ajibade and defender Oluwatosin Demehin far away from the match venue as a result of injuries, it was always going to be an uphill task for the Falcons to earn a first win over their hosts. Yet, they gave it a fight in an interesting second period.

Nnadozie was alert to save from Dephine Cascarino just after the restart, and as the game wore on, Majri saw her 20-yard free-kick soar far higher than Nnadozie’s goal-post.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, Nigeria broke forward, and from a corner kick, defender Sikiratu Isah came pretty close with a volley that had goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin stretching full strength to tip the ball behind the goalpost.

Five minutes later, Christy Ucheibe failed to get her direction right when sweeping the ball from a cross from the right, and watched as it floated over the bar.

In the 86^th minute, Nnadozie saved another point-blank effort, and the rebound was scrambled back to the goalkeeper by the hard-working Sikiratu Isah.

Though defeated, the Super Falcons were far from being disgraced, and the game could, perhaps, have been somewhat different had Ajibade and Demehin been involved.   

FRANCE – NIGERIA: 2-1 (2-1)
Referee: Ms. Hussein (ALL). 
Goals: Le Sommer (29th), Majri (37th) for France; Onumonu (45th +3) for Nigeria.

Warnings: Ucheibe (63rd), Echegini (66th), Babajide (90th+4), Oladipo (90th+7), Ohale (90th+7 and 90th+8) for Nigeria. Expulsion: Ohale (90th+8) for Nigeria.

FRANCE: Peyraud-Magnin – Lakrar, Renard (cap.) (Le Guilly, 46th), Sombath – D. Cascarino (Karchaoui, 60th), Toletti, Geyoro (Jean-François, 46th), Bogaert (Bacha, 82nd) ​​- Le Sommer (Feller, 46th), Katoto (Malard, 71st), Majri. Coach : Laurent Bonadei. Substitutes: Lerond (g), Picaud (g), Sieber (g), E. Cascarino, Dali, Baltimore, Le Mouël, Samoura, Matéo, Becho.

NIGERIA: Nnadozie (cap.) – Alozie (Oladipo, 73rd), Ohale, Plumptre, Imuran – Echegini (Yina, 73rd), Ucheibe, Payne (Omokwo, 90th +2) – Monday (Babajide, 73rd), Onumonu, Nkor (Isah, 46th). Coach : J. Madugu.