Sports
Enyimba, Rivers United In Goalless Friendly
Both Enyimba and Rivers rued missed chances in front of goal after they played out a goalless draw in a pre-season friendly in Calabar.
It was a good workout for both sides with just days to the start of the 2016/17 NPFL season and the Enyimba coach Gbenga Ogunbote said they ought to have put away their chances.
“I am still not completely satisfied (with the state of my team) but it is still a team in the making,” he said.
“We should have scored some goals in the game and we need to work on correcting those mistakes.
“Even if we had won (against Rivers United), we still would have had a few things that we need to perfect.”
Riveras United coach Stanley Eguma also said they could improve their finishing.
“It was a good game and Enyimba played well,” he said.
“We had scoring chances, but failed to convert them and that is something that we really need to work on.
“All the same, that is why these sort of matches are played; to help us identify and correct mistakes.”
Rivers United started on the front foot at the UJ Esuene Stadium and should have opened the scoring in the third minute, but Emeka Ogbugh failed to reach Bolaji Sakin’s cross on the far side.
Emeka Atoloma also had a clear sight of goal, but failed to score in the 19th minute following impressive work by Nzube Anaezemba and Lukman Mohammed, who combined delightfully to carve open the Enyimba defence.
‘The Pride of Rivers’ were the dominant side in the first half and were extremely unfortunate not to finally get off the mark in the 35th minute, when Anaezemba missed an open goal with a right-footed drive which flew marginally wide.
The visitors continued to enjoy the better of the goal scoring opportunities in a frenetic half with Ogbugh fluffing his lines twice within a minute as the first period came to an end.
Enyimba also had their moments too, most notably in the 36th minute when Joseph Osadiaye’s fierce long-range drive failed to trouble Sunday Rotimi in the United goal.
If the first half belonged to United, the second was pretty much all about the People’s Elephants as they pinned the Port Harcourt side to their half for most parts.
Osadiaye, Ifegwu Ojukwu, Stephen Chukwude, Ikechukwu Ibenegbu and Mfon Udoh all came close to scoring for the two-time African champions in a second half that ebbed and flowed.
Ibrahim Mustapha missed the best chance of the game, four minutes after the restart as he managed to plant a free header wide from two yards after he was played in by captain, Udoh on the right.
Rivers United and Enyimba will both open their respective league campaigns with tricky home fixtures on Sunday.
Enyimba will face Sunshine Stars, while United welcome El Kanemi Warriors to the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt.
Isaako All Stars FC of Opuoko and Khana Khana AllStars Football all in Local Government Area of Rivers State will tomorrow engage in a friendly football match at Opuoko Mini Stadium.
Chatting with Tidesports in a telephone interview yesterday the Chairman of Khana All Stars Saro Tap-le said that the encounter is not going to be an easy game in spite it is an AllStars game.
He express his side readiness for the encounter stating that the opportunity as come for them to showcase their talents.
However, the chairman explained that AllStars game is not about winning but the excitement, love, unity and friendship it creates is more important.
” Tomorrow game is not going to be an easy one despite is a AllStars game. We are going there in a full force to do what we know how to do best and to showcase our talents.
“As Chairman of Khana All Stars I believes we have an edge over the Isaako All Stars be we are training so hard for the encounter” Tap-le said.
Also speaking the Chairman of Isaako All Stars Mina Zaasi Iloori sees the match as an opportunity to build relationships.
” My brother it is an AllStars friendly game I think winning is not important but the paramount thing is the relationship we are going to create among both teams and my community at large
” We are training hard because of the encounter because I will not be in my house and somebody will rob soap in my eyes.
” As I speak with you we are just coming from back training ground to ensure all my players are fit for the match.
” I am using this medium to call on football fans to come en mass to Opuoko Mini Stadium tomorrow and enjoy the best of round leather game.
I promise the game will be an exciting display of football talents and sportsmanship”, Iloori said.
Kiadum Edookor
Thierry Henry has called for the return of the away goals rule in the aftermath of the bombastic Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona.
The visitors at the Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys came within milimeters of clinching the first leg of the final-four clash after former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan netted late in the second-half.
But the linesman was quick to raise his flag, and semi-automated offside ruled out what would have been a thrilling conclusion to the high-octane 3-3 draw.
The hosts came from behind twice to share the spoils, chasing Inter Milan from the first minute of the game after Marcus Thuram stunned the Barcelona faithful into silence with his neatly flicked goal.
Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter’s lead 20 minutes later, but it took just three more for the Blaugrana to finally get on the scoresheet courtesy of a moment of magic from teenage starlet Lamine Yamal.
Ferran Torres drew Barcelona level ahead of the break, but Lamal was forced to play catch-up again in the second-half after Dumfries scored his second.
In light of the impressive effort from Inter, Henry wondered if the team should have got more from the fixture ahead of the second-leg at the San Siro.
‘I know it’s been like that for a very time, and we have to accept it,’ Henry said of the removal of the away goals rule, ‘But off air I was talking to Jamie (Carragher), and I was like, “how can you score three goals away from home and you don’t have an advantage?”
‘Away goals for me were massive, you score three goals away and you still don’t have an advantage 0-0 at home,’ Henry shrugged.
UEFA took the decision to scrap the rule which gave goals scored away from home the ability to act as a tiebreaker in the case of level scorelines ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger claimed during his time as Arsenal manager in 2015 that the away goals rule ‘encouraged the team at home not to attack’ and that ‘the weight of the away goal (was) too big today’.
Without the rules, the tie at San Siro will go to extra time and penalties to decide which teams books their spot in the Champions League final.
But based on Wednesday evening’s performance, Henry seemed to give Inter a fighting chance against the newly minted Copa del Rey champions.
The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for the number of finishers despite hot conditions on Sunday for its 45th edition.
A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line at the end of the 26.2-mile route, Guinness World Records has confirmed.
The number surpassed the previous record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon in November.
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said he hoped the high number of finishers inspired people to apply for the 2026 race ballot.
“The London Marathon was already the most popular in terms of ballot entries, with 840,318 people applying for the 2025 race,” he said.
“It is also the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event with more than £1.3bn raised for charity since 1981.”
The number of people applying for the ballot to enter this year’s race broke the world record of 578,304 for the 2024 edition.
Of UK applicants 49% were female, while there was a 105% increase in applications from people aged between 20-29.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa surged to victory in the elite women’s race in a world record for a women’s only field, while Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe triumphed in the men’s event.