Sports
Abia Not Sure To Secure continental Ticket
El-Kanemi Warriors boosted their push up the Nigeria Premier Football League table with a 2-0 victory over Abia Warriors on Saturday, dealing a blow to the visitors’ hopes of securing a continental ticket.
The matchday 27 encounter, played at the El-Kanemi Warriors Stadium in Maiduguri, saw the home side take control in the first half before sealing the result late on.
Referee Hannah Elaigwu oversaw proceedings, assisted by Zango Muhammed and Aminu Salihu, with Zubairu Abubakar serving as fourth official.
El-Kanemi made their intent clear early and were rewarded in the 22nd minute when Daddy Abdulrahman converted from the penalty spot to hand the hosts the lead.
The goal settled the home side, who managed the remainder of the first half effectively to carry a 1-0 advantage into the interval.
Abia, chasing a top-three finish for the second consecutive season, pushed forward after the restart but struggled to break down a disciplined El-Kanemi defence.
Their ambitions suffered a decisive setback four minutes from time when Bashir Musa struck to double the advantage, ensuring the points remained in Maiduguri.
The victory lifts El-Kanemi to sixth place on 41 points from 27 matches, leaving them just two points behind fifth-placed Abia, who have played a game more.
For the visitors, the defeat dents their pursuit of a continental berth. They remain one point behind third-placed Enugu Rangers and two adrift of Ikorodu City in second, with both sides holding games in hand.
League leaders Rivers United sit on 46 points and appear firmly in control at the summit, also with three games in hand, intensifying the pressure on the chasing pack.
Abia Warriors will look to revive their challenge when they host Shooting Stars at their makeshift home in Aba on matchday 29, while El-Kanemi travel to Bauchi to face Wikki Tourist as they seek to build on their momentum.
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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