Sports
Go-Round FC Continue Home Victory
A goal in each half from Ekunta Etenfa and Chidi Nwachukwu gave Go Round FC a 2-0 win over visiting My People FC in continuation of the Nigeria National League.
After what was looking like a scoreless first half, captain of the home side, Nelson Esor, in the 44th minute decided to take matters into his hands, driving the ball at his feet into the eighteen yard box before he was hacked down and a penalty promptly given.
Ekunta Etenfa stepped up to bury the kick behind goalkeeper, Vincent Adejoh.
At the start of the second period, coach Ngozi Elechi rang some changes, bringing in Ugwu Onyedikachi for Igani Bomatedo in the 50th minute and then Abraham Deekor for Ekunta Etenfa in the 51st but My People FC held on to keep the Go Round FC attackers at bay.
In the 61st minute, Atia Yusuf of My People FC brought on Gregory Seboh for Shalibe Mordi and then Azeez Yakubu for Okpave Edwin four minutes later.
With desperation setting in, Ugwu Onyedikachi got a yellow card in the 66th minute for playing the ball into the net long before the whistle for offside had sounded.
It was ten minutes left on the clock when Elechi threw on Osinachi Emenike for Nelson Esor and with the minutes ticking away Chidi Nwachukwu created space in the box for himself before shooting behind Adejoh, his third of the season.
My People FC coach, Atia Yusuf was not disappointed in the loss, describing his side as a work in progress.
“It is football. We will go back home and correct the mistakes,” Yusuf said.
“I am not bothered about the penalty but the second goal my boys conceded is what annoyed me, but we did better today than against Gateway at home last week which we won.” he said.
Go Round FC coach, Ngozi Elechi said it seemed as though his boys underrated their opponents.
“Because their name is My People FC does not make them a weak side and have nothing to offer. So I was not happy about underrating them because that is what happened today.
“I had to be worried because for us to be in the Premier League my players need to live up to expectations. They beat Gateway FC last week so they are a crack side,” Elechi said
Ngozi however added that it was not a bad game for his side as they scored two goals at home for the first time this season.
Go Round will next be on the road to Osun United in Osogbo.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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