Sports
NPFL: Rivers Utd’s Coach Admits Ifeanyi Uba’s Supremacy
Rivers United Coach
Stanley Eguma has admitted that Ifeanyi Uba deserved their viotory against his team on Sunday in Nnewi.
High-riding Rivers united slumped to a 2-0 loss to home team IfeanyiUba in continuation of the Nigeria league on sdunday.
“We lost today and they (FCIU) were better. They deserved to win and I give them kudos,” admitted Eguma.
“We will go back home to prepare for the next game”.
The FCIU coach Mitko Dobrev revealed that painstaking preparations were vital to the win for his side.
“I think I have a good team but there are some new players so we need some time to integrate”, said the Bulgarian coach.
“I had vital information about Rivers United. They play with five midfielders and rely on counter attacks.
“We did not give them any free space today and I think we deserved to win”.
Rivers United stay in second place despite the defeat (they still have 38 points from 22 matches), while FCIU climb up two places on the table to 11th with 30 points from 21 matches.
Goals in each half from Wasiu Jimoh and Ismaila Gate gave FC Ifenyi Uba (FCIU) a deserved 2-0 victory over Rivers united.
Jimoh finished off emphatically, right-footed, into Sunday Rotimi’s bottom left hand corner after Maduabuchi Okereke opened up the Rivers United backline with some dare-devil piece of bribbling and impressive vision on 25 minutes.
Gate’s goal in the 52nd minute was as a result of an error by Rivers United midfielder, Yusuf Jaiyeola who lost the ball in midfield and the former Niger Tornadoes man showed no mercy as he fired clinically past Rotimi.
United were rocked just before kick off with the news that in form striker, Guy Kuemian had failed a late fitness test and would miss the game.
The Ivorian who had scored four goals in his last two matches was replaced by Onyekachi Okafor who clearly failed to fill the void left by the former Lecones Vegetarianos (Euatoguinean club) forward.
The ‘Pride of Rivers’, however, started the stronger of the two sides and should have taken the lead inside the opening two minutes.
United looked a pale shadow of the side that dismantled: Kaduna United in the Federation Cup in midweek and barely threatened the FCIU goalkeeper; Ikechuku Ezenwa all game.
Gata almost added a third goal late on for the hosts; but watched in despair as his free kick sailed narrowly over the bar.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.