Sports
Jamilu Steals Victory From Abia Warriors In 1-1 Draw With Adamawa Utd
Abia Warriors were denied maximum points on the road after a second-half goal by substitute, Danjuma Jamilu levelled scores in Gombe on MatchDay 16 of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Obioma Chukwuemeka had scored for the visitors seven minutes after the restart.
Coach Zakka Bala of Adamawa United made four changes from the side that lost 1-0 at Enugu Rangers during the weekend, Surajo Lukman, Abba Haruna, Stanley Nnanna, and Sadiq Lawan started ahead of Etete Okon, Mbai Aminu, Ibekwe Emmanuel and Michael Burate, respectively.
Five changes to the starting eleven were made by Abia Warriors gaffer, Imama Amapakabo, from the side that thrashed former Champions, Kano Pillars, in Okigwe.
Njoku Augustine, Adeleke Adekunle, Omemmiri Anthony, Hammed Yakub and Mustapha Jibril were favoured ahead of Innocent Gabriel, Makson Ojobu, Samuel Christian, Paul Samson and Fatai Abdullahi.
The visitors were the first side to produce an attempt against at goal as early as the seventh minute of the encounter, when lively winger Mustapha Jibril made a fine run, dribbling past two markers before sending his individual effort just inches away from goal.
Adamawa United responded via their forward, Stanley Nnanna, after 13 minutes, but the striker failed to hit the back of the net, sending his effort just wide from goalkeeper, Ojo Olorunleke.
It was a to and fro affair in terms of producing attempts by the two opponents during the first half.
Abia’s Playmaker, Okemmiri Anthony, almost put the visitors ahead in the 25th minute, but his strike was brilliantly halted by Achimugu Friday, who dived to his right to produce the save.
The promising performances from both goalkeepers ,Achimugu Friday and Ojo Olorunleke, forced the game to end in stalemate ahead of the restart, with Oluronleke denying Sale Muhammed’s goal-bound shot inside the box.
On the opposite side, Achimugu brilliantly halted Obioma Chukwuekema’s point-blank header moments before the end of the first half.
But Achimugu could not stop the forward in the second half as he volleyed home easily from a Mustapha Jibril’s assist.
It was his 4th goal of the season so far. Coach Zakka Bello’s substitution in the 63rd minute paid off as the substitute, Danjuma Jamilu, guided a long-range delivery from Emmanuel Ogbuagu inside the box before finishing past onrushing Ojo Olorunleke for the equaliser, just four minutes after replacing Muhammed Jiya.
Abia Warriors came close to snatching the maximum points just one minute to the end of the three additional minutes when substitute Archibong Arit reacted first with a thunderous effort from a rebound on the edge of the box.
It was to the joy of Adamawa United’s bench that Achimugu did the needful to ensure a share of spoils ahead of their MatchDay 17 away to Kwara United in Ilorin.
Abia Warriors will welcome Katsina United in Okigwe in the same fixtures on Sunday 21st March 2021.
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.
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