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2019 AFCON: Nigeria Takes Burundi In Opening Game, Morrow

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A much-fancied Nigeria side begin their Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a match against tournament debutants Burundi at the Alexandria Stadium, tomorrow
The Super Eagles are aiming to go all the way for the second time in six years and have a nice fixture to ease themselves in.
Dealt a difficult hand in last summer’s World Cup, placed in a group with Argentina and finalists Croatia, Nigeria crashed out at the group stage and they are now looking to make amends.
Advancing to the knockout rounds is their minimum target in Egypt, though reaching the final on July 19 and adding to their three previous titles will be the real aim.
Experienced boss Gernot Rohr, who has managed four African sides over the last nine years, has assembled a talented group that looks capable of challenging the likes of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana and hosts Egypt.
The German coach has named eleven players under the age of 24 in his squad, though he does have experienced faces in John Obi Mikel, Kenneth Omeruo and Ahmed Musa.
Nigeria failed to impress during their pre-tournament friendlies as they played out a goalless draw with rank outsiders Zimbabwe and then lost 1-0 to Senegal last weekend.
However, up against a side 89 places below them in the latest FIFA rankings in their opening fixture, anything other than victory for the Super Eagles will be considered a major shock.
Then comes a trickier match against Guinea in their second match, before facing another competition debutant in Madagascar.
The battle with Guinea is expected to determine which side finishes top of Group B. Getting off to a positive start against Burundi is therefore imperative for Rohr and his players.
Meanwhile, Burundi are competing in a major tournament for the first time ever after finishing above Gabon in qualifying with 10 points from their six group matches.
The Swallows may be newbies on the big stage but, as they showed throughout the qualifying campaign, they cannot be written off as they drew home and away with Gabon and did enough in their other fixtures to finish second to Mali, who they will face in the competition proper.
Ranked 134th in the world, though, Burundi have a massive task on their hands if they are to make it any further than the group phase.
The last debutants to progress beyond the first round were Cape Verde, who qualified for the 2013 quarter-finals at the expense of Angola and Morocco before losing to Ghana.
Burundi head into their opening fixture on the back of a 2-1 loss to Tunisia earlier this week, conceding to a Naim Sliti goal in added time to see their unbeaten run come to an end.
Olivier Niyungeko’s men had gone seven games without defeat prior to that, earning a couple of draws against Gabon and Mali, as well as holding Algeria.
Playing out 1-1 draws is very much Burundi’s forte – that has been the scoreline in five of their last eight matches – and that will be the aim against heavyweights Nigeria, tomorrow.
Achieve that and Niyungeko’s side will remain well on course to keeping their dream adventure alive.

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CAFCL: Finidi Laud Players Over Impressive Performance 

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Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt head coach, Finidi George, has lauded his players (boys) after they defeated Les Aigles du Congo 1-0 in the second leg of preliminary round of the CAF Champions League (CAFCL).
He admitted that the game was a perfect display of football artistry from both sides but believe that his players  will  grow stronger against Black Bulls in the second preliminary round in Mozambique.
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Finidi said this on Sunday shortly after his side saw off Les Aigles du Congo 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
 This feat qualified the pride of Rivers State for the second round of the preliminary stage by 1-0 goal aggregate, as their opponents forced them to goalless draw in Congo.
“It was not far from a perfect display, my players to get the job done by getting the only goal of the game. We know it has not been easy, but we’ll build on this win.
“The most important thing is that we have scaled through this round and  now we will focus on our next opponent” Finidi said.
He noted that the players were nervous in the first half and missed key opportunities to seal the tie early.
” We had chances, but there were lapses and mistakes, during first half break we advised them to  calm down, in the second half, we also created more opportunities but could not convert the chances as they come ” he said.
Finidi also explained the inexperience of his squad, with several players making their continental debut.
“Most of my players have not played at this level before, so the nervousness was expected. In every game, they’ll gain confidence. I’m not worried, they will get better,” he stated.
The former Super Eagles Coach assured fans that Rivers United are ready for the Mozambican champions and make a statement.
“We’ll prepare well for the Black Bull. It’s going to be tough but this win gives us something to build on” he added.
Rivers United will travel to Maputo for the first leg of the second preliminary on October 17, 2025 before returning to Uyo for the return leg where the winner over the two legs will make it into the group stage of the CAFCL.
By: Kiadum Edookor
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Umuahia Hosts Africa Para- Badminton Championship 

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A badminton fever has gripped Umuahia with the arrival of over 150 athletes and 60 officials from 14 countries for the maiden Abia International Para-Badminton and All-African Badminton Championship.

The championship will run from today to October 12 at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.  On the ground for the championship are athletes from Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda. They arrived on Sunday.

Some of the other countries were expected in the Abia State capital yesterday. Speaking on the championship, yesterday, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Nwobilor Ananaba, said the chief host, Governor Alex Otti, has mobilised facilities and the personnel to ensure a successful event.

Speaking through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Raymond Chima Ukwa, said: “We have the best mats, playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.

“If you go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable world-class playing field.” Thrilled by Governor Otti’s support for the competition, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) President, Francis Orbih, said that, besides making all the necessary arrangements that will ensure a successful hosting of the events, “we will have a Para-Badminton workshop for coaches and players.

“Nigeria is doing well, Abia is doing well, and we want to do better to improve on where we are, which is why all these have been put together by Governor Otti.”

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FIFA U20: Flying Eagles Narrowly Loss to Norway 

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Nigeria’s Flying Eagles began their campaign at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup with a narrow 1–0 loss to Norway on Monday, despite creating several opportunities to level the game.

Norway took the lead in the 9th minute after being awarded a controversial penalty. The Flying Eagles pressed for an equaliser but were denied two penalty claims in the second half.

Kparobo Arierhi came close in the 47th minute when his shot drifted wide with the goalkeeper beaten, while Tahir Maigana struck the upright in the 63rd minute.

Nasiru Salihu’s rising effort in the 71st minute also went narrowly over the bar, drawing gasps from the crowd.

Seven minutes from time, Maigana again tested Norway with a long-range strike that went just wide as Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure.

Despite their dominance, the Flying Eagles could not find the breakthrough and now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Saudi Arabia in their second group match.

 

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