Sports
Insurance Deepen Enyimba’s Trouble
The hosts began brightly and should have taken an early lead inside the opening ten minutes.
Musa Sudes fired wide in the fifth minute before Udom Emmanuel also missed the target moments later as Insurance pressed with intent. Enyimba survived another scare in the 17th minute when a well-taken free kick was kept out by a resolute defensive wall.
The breakthrough came in the 26th minute when Oweilayefa Alex finished confidently to put Insurance ahead, a goal that reflected their early dominance.
Enyimba struggled to respond, with the home side maintaining control of possession and tempo. Emmanuel Akpan was forced off through injury in the 38th minute and replaced by Chikatara Chisom, but the change did little to disrupt Insurance’s rhythm.
Chinedu Nwosu went close to extending the lead in the 41st minute, remaining composed as he dictated play in midfield, and Insurance went into the interval one goal to the good after four minutes of added time.
Insurance made a double change at the start of the second half, introducing Efe Ubiomo and Nnamdi Anthony for Musa Sudes and Henry Oyian. Enyimba showed more urgency after the restart and came close to equalising in the 56th minute, but goalkeeper Emmanuel Ofori produced a fine save to deny the visitors.
Any hopes of a comeback were effectively ended in the 79th minute when 16-year-old Efe Ubiomo marked his debut with a clinical goal to double Insurance’s advantage.
The home side continued to create chances, with Nwosu missing another opportunity late on, before Chikatara Chisom was replaced by Anyanwu Promise in stoppage time as Insurance saw out a comfortable win.
The result extends Enyimba’s miserable run in a season that began with title expectations.
The Peoples Elephants have now won just one of their last six matches and sit 12th in the table with 31 points from 25 games.
Their struggles on the pitch come amid ongoing turmoil off it, with the club reportedly under investigation over alleged misappropriation of funds and having recently appointed Cameroonian Emmanuel Deutsch as head coach, their fourth in two years.
By contrast, Insurance’s revival under Kennedy Boboye continues to gather momentum. Once flirting with relegation earlier in the campaign, they have climbed to sixth place on 37 points and are now firmly in the hunt for a continental place, with this emphatic win underlining their return to form.
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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