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.
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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