Nigerian Football
Heartland is still a work-in-progress, says Amuneke after frustrating home draw
BY JOHNKENNEDY UZOMA, OWERRI
The advancement of Heartland on the log of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) may have been cut by the goalless draw the Owerri side recorded with El Kanemi on Wednesday, the club’s turn-around manager, Emmanuel Amuneke has remarked that the result was nothing to worry about.
Since picking up the role of technical manager at the beginning of the season, Amuneke has been able to navigate the club upstream from the backwaters.
The club got relegated last season but got a wild card back into the NPFL, taking the position of Beyond Limits Football Academy of Ikenne, which could not be in the elite division on account of sharing ownership with Remo Stars.
Starting the new season on the wrong foot, Heartland eventually got their rhythm. On the goalless outing at home with El Kanemi, Amuneke admitted that it was a disappointment. but
“My expectations and target were to play and win our games, and stabilize the club.”
Winning the league title may be out of the equation, but the coach intends to get the club back among the powerhouses of Nigerian football.
Heartland’s next fixture is an away duel with Ikorodu City in Lagos this weekend.
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The match day 26 duel of Rivers United and Katsina United could not be concluded on Thursday as the match was disrupted by rainfall at half-time.
The home side was leading 1-0 through a 17th minute goal by Ubong Friday. The match will be concluded at 9 am on Friday.
Before the disruption, Rivers United had climbed up from the fifth position to the second position on the live scores table, sharing 42 points with Shooting Stars but having an advantage in goal difference.
In another match, Bendel Insurance beat Ikorodu City 2-1 in Benin on Thursday night. Stanley Okoroma put the home side ahead in the 52nd minute after which Shola Adelani drew level two minutes later for Ikorodu City.
Uche Collins got the winner for Bendel in the 69th minute. With 35 points, Bendel Insurance are now 11th on the log while Ikorodu City are seventh with their 38 points.
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The 10-point gap established by Remo Stars at the top of the Nigeria Premier Professional League has been narrowed to nine following Remo Stars’ lone goal loss to Nasarawa and Shooting Stars’ 1-1 draw with Enyimba in Aba.
Anas Yusuf’s 25th-minute goal was all Nasarawa United needed to peck the advancement of the league leaders. But it still left Nasarawa in the murky waters of relegation.
For Shooting Stars in what was to be an early kick-off at 3 pm but suffered a little delay owing to rainfall, the Ibadan team did not mince words about their intentions.
They went into the attack right from kick-off and could have been two goals up before the half-hour mark.
They opened the game with a ferocious attack and scored in just after 15 minutes when Sodiq Ibrahim in a breakaway move found the net.
Minutes later, he was close to doubling the lead, but his effort went slightly off target.
Enyimba restored parity through Ekene Awazie in the 42nd minute.
In Ilorin, Kwara United fritter away many scoring chances especially in the first half, forced to a goalless draw by visiting Abia Warriors in Ilorin.
In Enugu, Enugu Rangers compounded the woes of Sunshine Stars, inflicting a 3-0 defeat that has taken the Ondo State’s goal deficit to two digits.
They remain in the league’s backwaters.
Heartland played a goalless draw with El Kanemi Warriors while Lobi Stars were crushed 2-0 at home by Niger Tornadoes.
The Results:
- Nasarawa United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Enugu Rangers 3-0 Sunshine Stars
- Kwara United 0-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland 0-0 El Kanemi
- Lobi Stars 0-2 Niger Tornadoes
- Enyimba 1-1 Shooting Stars
- Kano Pillars v Akwa United
Thursday
- Bendel Insurance v Ikorodu City
- Rivers United v Katsina United
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The Flying Eagles were emphatic 2-0 winners over hosts Young Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the first of two international friendly matches at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in the heart of the Ivorian capital on Thursday.
Captain Daniel Bameyi made good from the spot three minutes after the hour mark, converting from six yards after an infringement on darting forward Divine Oliseh.
The seven-time African champions dominated from kick-off and the hosts were fortunate to go into recess still on level terms with their visitors.
However, the Flying Eagles, two-time FIFA World Cup silver medallists, were determined to put some gloss on the scoreline and Oliseh did just that with 10 minutes left.
Both teams will square up to each other again at the same venue on Friday, as they test strength ahead of this year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations taking place 26th April – 18th May.
Tournament hosts Cote d’Ivoire have been drawn in group A of the biennial championship, alongside DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania and the second flag-bearers of central Africa, while the Flying Eagles will battle it out with Egypt, South Africa and Morocco in a potentially flammable group B.
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