Sports
Excitement As NPFL 2013 Season Takes Centrestage
Five months after the end of the last season, Nigeria’s top flight football competition returned over the weekend.
Re-christened as the Nigeria Professional Football League, in a bid to distance it from the legal pot-holes afflicting the last competition, it was a welcome relief to actually see football played for a change.
And what a start it proved to be.
Watched by a mammoth crowd that included members of the League Management Company, led by chairman Nduka Irabor, the first televised game of the season was settled by Bitrus Dada’s first half goal.
The former Unicem Rovers striker took advantage of calamitous defending to poach the winner in a tightly-contested game.
On their way to the title last season, Kano Pillars won just one game away from home. That was against Akwa United on the final day of the season, with the title confirmed as theirs.
This time, they have wasted no time laying down their season’s marker. Rabiu Ali secured the winner with less than five minutes left.
But the three points almost turned to one when the home side were handed a penalty but fluffed it.
Solomon Ogbeide became the first coach this season to have a go at referees after his team were beaten 2-1 in Port Harcourt.
Ogbeide was livid that his side were denied a goal by the officials.
In any case, goals from George Amakiri and Frederick Obomanu gave the home side what looked like a commanding lead, until former Sharks man Akeem Yakubu came back to punish his old club just before the break.
Two days before the season started, Heartland General Manager, Fan Ndubuoke said how unfair it was that his side had been classed as pretenders rather than contenders in the season preview.
On the evidence of their opening game, he may have cause to look inwards to find the cause of that gripe.
New boys Nembe City, in their first top flight game, showed little fear. Coached by ex-junior international full back John Aranka, they took the lead through Brown Braye.
Heartland took a while but eventually hit back. Olusesi finding a headed connection top Jolly Osas’ cross.
But Samuel Akinbinu settled matters with a goal of international quality with just over 15 minutes left to play.
With many of the players who helped the club reach the CAF Champions League semifinal having departed, Sunshine Stars looked disjointed as they welcomed Kaduna United to the Akure Township Stadium.
But they would be grateful to one the remaining old guard, Ajani Ibrahim, whose goal after eight minutes settled the fixture.
Former champions Bayelsa United marked their return to the top division with a narrow in over ever-present campaigners Lobi Stars.
Babangida Ibrahim saw his fierce left foot volley tipped away by John Lawrence before Iyasele Odili struck nearly on the stroke of full time.
Odili stole in at the back post to meet Otimoti Diri’s excellent cross.
Premier League returnees Nasarawa United and El Kanemi came face to face in this fixture that could have swung either way.
Neither side looked imposing enough and in the end, a barren draw was the best score.
If Nasarawa and El Kanemi cancelled each other out from the familiarity of having campaigned in the lower division last term, ABS and Kwara United’s familiarity came from proximity.
Both are based out of Kwara State, and know each other inside out. Last season, this opening fixture also ended in the same scoreline.
Kwara will be the happier of the two, having been on the receiving end of a 3-0 scoreline against ABS in the past.
Shooting Stars have played perhaps more pre-season games than any other club in the build-up to the season’s kick-off.
And the preparations showed in their dismantling of Gombe United, who arrived with a proud record of not having lost to the Oluyole Warriors in two seasons.
Tony Edjomariegwe and Osagona Ighodaro scored in a ten-minute first half spell to hand the Oluyole Warriors the full points.
Akwa United, who lost at home on the final day of last season, opened this campaign with a much needed win over Dolphins.
Liverpool’s season of abject misery worsened as they were beaten with embarrassing ease by a hugely impressive Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s Premier League champions were looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat at Manchester City, but instead ran into a Forest side revitalised under new manager Sean Dyche and looking back to their best.
Liverpool head coach Slot gave £125m British record signing Alexander Isak a start, but he was totally anonymous once more and only lasted 67 minutes.
Forest went ahead after 33 minutes when defender Murillo shot powerfully past fit-again Liverpool keeper Alisson to subdue an already anxious Anfield.
Igor Jesus had a second ruled out for handball, but Forest doubled their advantage 39 seconds after the break when former Liverpool defender Neco Williams set up Nicola Savona for a crisp finish in front of The Kop.
Liverpool could barely raise a response in a desperate display, Forest increasing their lead 12 minutes from time when Morgan Gibbs-White scored after Alisson saved from Omari Hutchinson.
It means Liverpool, who lie 11th before Saturday’s late fixture, have now lost six of their past seven Premier League games as Slot’s near £450m summer spending spree comes under further scrutiny.
Forest, meanwhile, are surging away from the relegation zone and are up to 16th.
Michael Olise scored twice and provided a hat-trick of assists as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich came from two goals down to thrash Freiburg.
The visitors stunned the defending champions by taking a 2-0 lead after just 17 minutes when Yuito Suzuki scored from close range and Johan Manzambi rose highest to head home Jan-Niklas Beste’s corner.
Bayern, who had not lost in the league since March, responded superbly and had restored parity by half-time.
Teenager Lennart Karl fired into the bottom corner from Olise’s pass in the 22nd minute and set up the Frenchman for a fierce finish in first-half injury-time, although Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu should have done better.
Bayern took control in the second period as Dayot Upamecano headed home Olise’s corner to put them ahead for the first time.
England captain Harry Kane netted his 14th league goal of the campaign on the hour mark, before Olise made it three assists when he threaded a pass through for Nicolas Jackson to finish at the first time of asking in the 78th minute.
Winger Olise completed a sensational afternoon with his second of the game six minutes later, driving at the Freiburg defence and curling into the far corner.
A 10th victory in the first 11 games left Bayern eight points clear of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, while Freiburg remain 10th in the standings.
Vincent Kompany’s side visit Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday with both sides having a perfect record of four wins so far in the league phase of the competition.
AS FAR Morocco Win African Women’s Champions League (8)
AS FAR held firm to beat debutants ASEC Mimosas 2-1 in the African Women’s Champions League final and become continental champions for the second time.
Hanane Ait El Haj put the Moroccan club ahead from the penalty spot in the 13th minute after Safa Banouk had been tripped by Aboa Yapo.
ASEC Mimosas rallied after the break and Ami Priscal Diallo netted a fine header from Sopie Brou’s cross to drag the Ivory Coast club level 10 minutes into the second half.
But AS FAR were handed a second spot-kick in the closing stages when Noura Diarra committed a rash challenge on Sofia Bouftini.
This time it was Zineb Redouani who stepped up to stroke home in the 85th minute and restore her side’s lead.
Asastasie Gbehi came close to forcing extra time but she poked wide of the post in stoppage time, and the centre-back was sent off after the full-time whistle for dissent.
AS FAR move level with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns as two-time winners of the title, having first lifted the trophy in 2022.
The Rabat-based side will now take on Chinese’s Wuhan Jiangda on 14 December for a place at next year’s Fifa Women’s Champions Cup.
The winner of that match will face European champions Arsenal in the semi-finals of the inaugural competition early next year in London.
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