Sports
Sharks FC Records First Away Point
Sharks Football Club of Port Harcourt recorded its first away point and goal of the season following the draw against Wikki Tourists at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi.
Sharks kicked off the game with so much precision and more business like than their host who were relying on the centre referee Shabacg Barnabas from Kaduna to play the tactically for them to the consternation of the fans.
The blue angels as Sharks FC are fondly called broke the deadlock in the 40th minute when Abraham Ezioha detached and jumped high above his marker to head home the first goal of the match.
The score line stood that way until the end of first half, there were other scaring moment once Ikechukwu Ezenwa was called to duty the other was the cross bar which was at the mercy of Sharks FC.
On the resumption of play in the second half Wikki came out stronger in search of the equaliser and not before long they got a controversial penalty after the referee adjudged Ezioha to have handled the ball and the subsequent spot kick was clinically converted by Tunde Aremu in the 55th minute.
The equaliser ginger the Bauchi boys and for ten minutes they were in control of the game as Sharks resorted to long thrust so as not to caused any infringement since the Centre Referee was busy making calls to the advantage of Wikki.
The introduction of Kingsley Patrick popularly called Nakata for tired Stanley Okoronkwo worked pretty well as Sharks took charge of proceeding using fast break to destabilised Wikki but the second goal never came.
Most of the fans rooted for Sharks FC but the few irate ones harassed the visitors such that the assistant coach Gabriel was slapped and the media officer got some too on his back while struggling to enter the team bus.
In fact it took the intervention of those fans who felt their players should be blamed for not taking advantage of the 12th player’s (centre referee) match officials largesse that we came left the ATB stadium unhurt.
Goal keeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa described the performance of the entire team as heart-warming.
“If I may say it’s a great performance for the team and I think it was because of the hard work by the players and officials”.Ëzenwa said
The shot stopper said the draw will further motivate the boys while he solicited for more support from the management of the team.
“I believe the boys are happy now because of the score draw which will certainly ginger us for more just as I appeal to management to also do their own part as well”, he added
Meanwhile technical adviser of the side Gbenga Ogunbote dedicated the outcome of the match to God almighty.
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.