Nigeria 2-0 Chad: Keshi's second coming celebrated with three points

The Super Eagles got their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign off to a winning start in Kaduna

Goals from Gbolahan Salami and Odion Ighalo ensured Nigeria began their Africa Cup of Nations 2017 qualifying campaign in winning fashion with a victory over Chad .

After a lethargic, uninspired first half, the Super Eagles improved after the break and took the lead on 69 minutes when Salami finished well after an excellent assist from substitute Ighalo.

The Watford man, who was promoted to the Premier League this season, confirmed the victory with a penalty on 80 minutes after being brought down in the box.

Stephen Keshi’s side played out the final ten minutes with ten men following a red card for Ogenyi Onazi during the pre-penalty melee, but the visitors' man advantage wasn’t enough for Chad to stage an unlikely late comeback.

The match marked Stephen Keshi’s return to the national team top job after being re-appointed by Amaju Pinnick and the Nigeria Football Federation.

The Big Boss opted to include several new faces in his first starting XI back in the hotseat, and understandably, Nigeria were disjointed and lacked cohesion during the opening 45 minutes.

The terrible pitch in Kaduna hardly helped, and the Super Eagles struggled to retain possession in the face of an uneven surface and well-organised Chadian pressure.

Ahmed Musa and Salami both took the opportunity to demonstrate their dribbling ability with the ball at their feet early on, but both—the former in particular—was guilty of poor delivery.

Chad also had their chances, and could have taken the lead on 17 minutes, when Marius Mbaiam's shot flew wide of Vincent Enyeama's post.

Michael Babatunde—returning to the starting lineup for the first time since the World Cup defeat to Argentina last summer—struggled to get a handle on the game from the heart of the park. The midfielder worked tirelessly, but failed to demonstrate the creativity that the Super Eagles were looking for.

After the break—doubtless following some terse words from Keshi—Nigeria began to impose themselves.

Kingsley Madu, one of the debutants, began to show his quality in possession, while his counterpart in the right-back berth, Leon Balogun, was similarly confident with the ball at feet.

It took two changes to break the deadlock, however, with Ibrahim Rabiu replacing Babatunde, and Ighalo coming on for the injured Aaron Samuel.

It was the latter who made the telling contribution, first setting-up Salami for the opener-a powerfully struck shot into the roof of the net-before firing home himself from the spot after winning the penalty.

Onazi’s late red was an unfortunate footnote, with the Lazio midfielder dismissed after shoving a Chad defender in a momentary lapse of discipline.

While the victory ensured that Nigeria got their Group G campaign off to a winning start, Keshi’s return to the side—and the indifferent performance of his chosen team—failed to truly erase memories of the disastrous 2015 qualifying campaign.

There is still much work to be done, both for the Super Eagles to secure a spot in Gabon, and for the Big Boss to mend his tarnished reputation.

BREAKING! Nigerian Player Dies In Malaysia

Nigerian defender David Faramola Oniya died on Saturday after collapsing on the pitch during a friendly match between his Malaysian club T-Team and Kelantan. He was 30.

Local media said the T-Team skipper collapsed three minutes into the match in Kota Bharu and was taken to hospital.

T-Team CEO Syahrizan Mohd Zain said Oniya did not receive medical treatment quick enough.

"He suffered a heart attack but it could have been a different story had the ambulance driver been alert," he told the New Straits Times.

"The driver was at the stands watching the game when Oniya suddenly collapsed and our defender was deprived of oxygen for several minutes."

Syahrizan said the match was called off after 60 minutes after they were informed by the hospital Oniya had died.

"He was pronounced dead at the hospital about 30 minutes later," he told the Star newspaper.

Oniya had only just joined the Malaysian club this season after spells in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.

Germany Coach: How We Stopped Nigeria

Germany coach Frank Wormuth has revealed how his team were able to overcome the Flying Eagles in their round of 16 FIFA U-20 World Cup clash which they won 1-0.

Reacting to the win, Wormuth who spoke highly of the Flying Eagles, however said his players deserved to advance at the expense of Nigeria.

He told fifa.com: “I like Nigeria and they are very good technically, which makes them extremely difficult to play against.

“We were able to keep the ball under pressure and that was our only chance to break through their defence. In the end, I give congratulations to my team for finding the answer to the problems Nigeria posed us. They deserved the win and I am very impressed with them.

“I am especially proud of my team’s defence today. Of course, our aim is to get to the final in Auckland but to get there we must go step to step and our next step is Mali. The German mentality is to always think this way. I expect Mali to play in quite a similar way to what we saw today from Nigeria.”

A 19th minute strike by Levin Öztunali was enough for the European champions to see off a lackluster Flying Eagles side.

Akpan, Thank God Close To Warriors Debut

There are strong indications that Abia Warriors’ newly signed duo of Ike ThankGod and Bassey Akpan will make their debut against Glo Premier League leaders Sunshine Stars, on Sunday.

The duo joined the Umuahia side as free agents ahead of the resumption of the league, on Sunday.

“Everything depends on what they put up during training on Wednesday and Thursday. Both players are great additions to the team,” Bosso said to supersport.com.

ThankGod joins the club after a stint in Oman, while Akpan is set to play for his second club this term after brief romance with Bayelsa United.

Interestingly, the former youth international played in Vietnam before returning to the country.

Akpan has already been assigned the number 18 shirt.

Enyeama To Retire From Super Eagles After AFCON 2017

Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, has said he would retire from super eagles after AFCON 2017. According to the goalkeeper, he had wanted to retire after the team failed to qualify for 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), but the then Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio, his wife and Pastor all discouraged him from retiring. Below is what Enyema said about his planned 2017 retirement. Continue…


 “I actually wanted to stop, it wasn’t a rumour. Nigeria is blessed with great goalkeepers, just that we need to give them confidence.

“Nobody gave me a chance when I started, I was a rookie also; I belt it up, I worked hard for it and became the big person that nobody wants to lose.

“What changed my mind was the passion of Nigerians; I had a lot of calls, my governor, Akpabio.

“A lot of people talked with me. These things, you don’t just ignore and my wife also talked with me.

“My wife didn’t want me to leave yet. I talked to my pastor and he said if everybody said stay, why not; so I decided to continue, but then, there is going to be a time to call it quit.”

“I can’t keep doing the same thing forever; there is going to be a time I have to stop and give it up to some other person.


“I am the only face here since 2002, but 2017 Nations Cup finals will be my last game; I just said my target, anything can happen after.”

I’m Also Studing Law - Super Eagles Player, Ukoh

Super Eagles player, Steven Ukoh has said aside playing football for the National team and playing in Switzerland he is also studying law at one of the universities in the country. According to him, footballers get a lot of free time so he has decided to use his to study law at a university which he has already started. Ukoh who is presently in Abuja, Nigeria said;


“Actually beside football which is my number one priority I’m studying Law at the university. I saw that as a footballer you have a lot of leisure time and I just wanted to use it wisely. So, I took up study. But I’m not quite sure if I will be a lawyer after my (football) career who knows,” he said.

Michael Babatunde Quits Volyn Lutsk

Babatunde Michael has quit his Ukrainian Club Volyn Lutsk last Wednesday, the player disclosed to Goal in Abuja on Sunday.

“I have quit my Ukrainian club Volyn Lutsk because we had some issues of salary payment. They owe me about seven months salaries which made me to terminate my contract with the club,” Babatunde told Goal.

The player's contract was due to end this summer.

“I have cancelled my contract with them and I am looking forward to joining a new club now.

“Right now I have many offers coming from clubs from Spain, Germany, Belgium and other two clubs also in Ukraine.

“I just keep on praying to God to show me the right club that I will go that I will have playing time.

“I need playing time because after I came back from injury I started playing. So I need playing time so that all my fans in Nigeria and abroad will be happy that I am playing regularly with a club and the Chief Coach of the national team will be happy too,” he said.

The midfielder also expressed optimism that the Super Eagles will beat the visiting Chad national team on Saturday in Kaduna.

“Yes, I believe we will win the match because we have a lot of quality players that are capable of making Nigeria proud in any match they play,” he said.

“The players the coach invited for this game are super ready to give their very best against Chad because you don’t get this kind of opportunity to play in the national team always,” Babatunde concluded. 

Onazi, Ighalo & Five Others Arrive Super Eagles Camp

The Super Eagles camp in Abuja is gradually bubbling to life as invited foreign based professionals trickle in. First to arrive the base of the national team was England-based forward, Odion Ighalo.
Ighalo helped Watford secure promotion to the English Premier League and also finished the season as club’s top scorer.

Also in camp are Ogenyi Onazi, John Ogu, Babatunde Michael, Steven Ukoh, Anderson Esiti and William Troost Ekong.

According to Keshi, all the foreign based players to be in camp on or before midnight on Wednesday, June 3 except Aaron Samuel who was granted permission by the ‘Big Boss’.

Nigeria will take on the Chad at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna on June 13 as the race for Gabon 2017 begins across Africa.

Shooting Stars Turn To Ogunbote

Struggling Premier League side, Shooting Stars Sports Club have turned to Sharks gaffer, Gbenga Ogunbote to safe their season following the exit of Franklin Howard after 10 matches.

supersport.com learnt Ogunbote's contract is for the rest of the season.

Howard led the team to the elite class, but struggled to earn decent results and was eventually sacked last week.

Interestingly, Ogunbote continued from where he stopped last season with the Port-Harcourt side, but couldn't turn down the approach from 3SC.

Ogunbote's bitter experience with some fans of the club contributed to his decision to seek fortunes elsewhere and Shooting Stars capitalized on his availability.

"Ogunbote arrived at Ibadan on Wednesday and will watch the team for the first time on Thursday. He has been engaged as the club's new gaffer", a source at the club informed superrsport.com.

It's the first time Ogunbote will coach the famous Shooting Stars.

Balogun Promoted To The Bundesliga

Nigeria international Leon Balogun ended a memorable season with Darmstadt as they earned promotion to the Bundesliga.

Balogun joined his teammates and their fans in the wild celebrations following the final whistle and could be seen waving the Nigerian flag.

An elated Balogun told supersport.com that he "was grateful to God for the achievement", and proudly waved the Nigerian flag as the team made their lap of honour around the pitch."

Darmstadt finished second ahead of Karlsruhe when they defeated St Pauli 1-0 to complete a remarkable double promotion having been promoted this time last year from the third division.

Balogun joined Darmstadt at the start of the season after Fortuna Dusseldorf refused to renew his contract following an injury incurred when he made his debut for Nigeria in Atlantic against Mexico in March 2014.

The defender had told supersport.com before the game that "we know the pressure ahead of this game and also know St Pauli need to win to avoid relegation but we will keep our focus and get the desired result.

"We would have done this already last week but we lost, otherwise we would have been promoted along with Ingolstadt but we are happy to achieve this."

Keshi Throws Open Super Eagles Door To 'Goal Poacher' Taiwo Awoniyi

Nigeria senior team coach Stephen Keshi has given U20 striker Taiwo Awoniyi the green light to lead the Super Eagles attack when he finishes with the U20 World Cup in New Zealand.

Awoniyi, a top talent in the Flying Eagles squad, is expected to light up the youth championship that starts next week with his eye for goal and impressive physique.

The 18-year-old scored a brace for Samson Siasia’s U23 squad in a recent All African Games qualifier in Lusaka, Zambia, and it would be only a matter of time before he makes his senior team debut.

Keshi told Goal that Awoniyi is ripe enough to lead the Eagles attack but must indicate his readiness to take that responsibility on the field of play.

“If you will recall, I gave Awoniyi his first call up to the Super Eagles sometimes ago because I know that he has the quality of a goal poacher who can deliver the goals when needed,” Keshi told Goal.

“But like I have always explained, playing for the age grade national teams is different from the Super Eagles.

“Taiwo Awoniyi is young and talented and has the quality of a good striker. So who says he can’t lead the Eagles attack?

“He just needs to be ready for the task and show it on the field of play which I believe the boy is capable of doing.”

The 53-year-old wished his future lead man a good time at the Fifa tournament where Nigeria have never won despite reaching two finals.

“I pray that he continues to wax stronger with the Flying Eagles at the World Cup. His performance in New Zealand will be good for his confidence level and will also help prepare him for the Super Eagles task.

“Like I said, the boy is a good player,” he said.

The Nigeria U20 side will begin their title challenge with a game against Brazil on June 1 in New Plymouth.

Keshi Allows NPFL Players To Play Midweek Games In Order To Avoid Distractions

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has allowed players invited to the Super Eagles for next month’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad to feature for their clubs in Wednesday’s Nigeria Professional Football League Week 10 matches.

Camp was scheduled to open on Tuesday with 26 players from the domestic scene. However, they can now go back to play for their clubs in tomorrow's matches.

“We want to allow the players to feature for their clubs in the midweek games, so that they will know that once they report to camp, they will not be going anywhere again," Keshi was quoted by the NFF website.

“It is important that they come to camp and concentrate. We don’t want distractions, especially with the team scheduled to play a number of friendly matches in the weeks to come before the qualifier against Chad."

All the 26 players were expected to report to camp on Tuesday, but the grace of 48 hours will now ensure they help their clubs’ fortunes in the Week 10 matches.

The 53-year-old former defender has invited three goalkeepers, nine defenders, six midfielders and eight strikers from the domestic league for the match, with the list of overseas-based professionals due to be released this weekend.

Nigeria have been drawn in an Afcon qualifying group that includes Egypt, Chad and Tanzania and will play their first game against Chad in Kaduna on June 13.

Super Eagles Need A Permanent Home Ground - Gbenga Okunowo

Ex-Nigeria and Barcelona player Gbenga Okunowo has expressed discontent with the choice of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna for Super Eagles’ 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad.

The Nigeria Football Federation last week agreed that the 30,000 capacity venue that hosted some matches during the 2009 Fifa U17 World Cup will stage the first Afcon qualifier for the Eagles against the Sao for a ticket to Gabon 2017.

According to Okunowo capped eight times by Nigeria, the country should have a permanent ground where they can demystify their opposition.

Until last year, the Super Eagles played their home matches at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar before they were uprooted to the new ultra-modern Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo after the Abuja National Stadium had been abandoned due to its state of disrepair.

The team will now use the Kaduna stadium for its first qualifier next month.

“From my own view, [regular changing of stadia] is not okay and I don’t understand what the technical crew of the Super Eagles and the Nigeria Football Federation put into consideration before arriving at that choice,” Okunowo told Goal.

“[Coach Stephen] Keshi should be the one to choose where he wants his men to play – well I’m not too sure if he was the one who chose [the Ahmadu Bello Stadium] or was carried along.

“Moving from one ground to the other is not good for us. At this stage, we need to have a national stadium where the Super Eagles will be playing all their home matches,” he added.

“The NFF and the technical crew must look into this and decide where the national team will be playing all their home games. We need to have a permanent home ground and that is how it is supposed to be.

“I won’t be able to pick any pitch for the Super Eagles be it National Stadium, Lagos or the Abuja National Stadium, all we need to do is pick a very good venue that will be suitable for our players to win matches. Mind you, it should be a natural [pitch] and not an artificial turf,” he concluded.

The Super Eagles will file out against Chad on June 13 as they begin their Afcon 2017 quest.

Maduabuchi, Bashir Begin Lobi Era

Wecan reveal that Lobi Stars will give debuts to a posse of new players, led by former Enyimba skipper and Warri Wolves midfielder, Josiah Maduabuchi as well as ABS legend, Abdulrahman Bashir, during Sunday's match day nine trip at high-flying Wikki Tourists.

The duo were headline acquisitions as Lobi seek to boost their fortunes this term.

Fellow new signings Akleche Enokela from ABS and former Abia Warriors player, Ogu Michael, are also in line to make their debut.

Lobi's need for reinforcements was emphasized by a slow start to the season in which they have failed to record a win in their first eight league games.

Maduabuchi has been assigned number 18, while Bashir will wear 24.

The duo of Enokela and Michael will use 28 and 7, respectively.

"Lobi has good players and I'm here to do my best for the club," Bashir told supersport.com.

With players such as Moses Bunde, Anthony Agbaji, John Huan, Felix Osia, Douglas Arhiv and Obioma Arinze, also at his disposal, manager Justin Tenger, now faces a challenge to accommodate all of his star names in his preferred 4-4-2 formation.

Fans expect a favourable result as Bauchi remains a favourable ground for Lobi.

‘No Hiding Place For Taraba’

Giwa FC captain and central midfielder, Charles Henlong has said there will not be any hiding place for FC Taraba in Sunday’s league clash.

The Tin City side will host the Jalingo-based side in Glo Premier League match day 9 encounter at the Rwang Pam Stadium in Jos.

Henlong said after the Federation Cup round of 64 shocking exit in the hands of Kukuruku Dragons FC his side must restore confidence in their teeming supporters with a convincing win against FC Taraba.

“We’ve learnt the bitter way not to underrate any side that was our greatest undoing in the shocking defeat to Kukuruku Dragons FC in the Federation Cup round of 64 tie.

“We’ll never allow a repeat occurrence in future no matter the opposition as well as competition.

“Right now we’re paying 100% concentration on the league to get something substantial for ourselves.

“We must start winning matches again to restore confidence among our supporters after the Federation Cup loss to Kukuruku.

“And the take off point is the league clash against FC Taraba on our home ground in Jos on Sunday.

“The encounter is a must win game as we need the points to chance climbing back to the top of the log.

“Our dream is to remain in the top three brackets at every point in time while we continue the push to earn a ticket to Africa.

“Our chairman was disappointed over our defeat in the Federation Cup to relatively unknown side so we must give him something to cheer by winning big against Taraba.

“Taraba will come hard to challenge for decent result after a hard fought 3-3 home draw against Gabros last weekend but we won’t allow the luxury as we need the points more than the visitors,” said the Super Eagles playmaker to supersport.com.

The Jos-based side are second on the league log on 15 points one point adrift leaders, Sunshine Stars in the eight-week old Nigerian top flight.

Jordan Ibe wants to emulate Steven Gerrard

Jordan Ibe is hoping to emulate the lofty achievements of captain Steven Gerrard as well as follow his path to greatness.
The Liverpool legend is set to leave Anfield at the end of the season as the club's third-highest appearance maker of all-time and fifth-highest scorer ever.

Ibeh, who moved to Merseyside 2011 revealed how the former English international has been a role model to upcoming players while lamenting his department from the Reds squad.

"[Gerrard]'s been a big deal for us. He's always helped all the other players in the team," Ibe told Liverpoolfc.com

"He's helped a lot of the young lads, including me, so it's going to be a shame to lose him. But I'm happy for him to continue his journey.

"Sometimes he doesn't even have to say anything but you just see the way that he conducts himself on and off the pitch; you can just see that he’s a legend for the club.

"Playing with him, you just want to play to the best of your ability and it keeps you on your toes. He's a great role model for the club and other players."

He admits he was worried that he would find playing time hard to come by in the event of a return, but credits the manager for throwing him into first-team action immediately.

"I thought I was going to be at Derby for the rest of the season but my aim was to always come back at one point and it obviously happened and I've enjoyed it since," he continued.

"I was thinking if I came back I might not play, I'd just be on the bench and watching most games just for experience.

"But everything's gone well enough and I have to thank the gaffer for that and I’m enjoying it.

"[Rodgers] spoke to me two weeks prior to me coming back and he said the way we’re playing now would give me a chance to fit in,” he added.

"He said, 'When you get back we'll just start training and hopefully you can get in and start playing games'.

"I slightly doubted it because I was starting games at Derby, but he's come through and delivered so I've been grateful for that,” Ibeh concluded.

Mali were scared of Nigeria, says Onyedinma

Chairperson of the Nigeria Women's Premier League, Dilichukwu Onyedimma has expressed delight with the Mali women national team withdrawal from the final qualifying round of the Rio 2016 Olympics football event saying the development would help Edwin Okon Ladies prepare well for the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Canada.
The reigning African queens were expected to host Mali on Saturday, May 9 before playing the return leg a week later, sealed a spot to the next round without kicking the ball.

A delighted Onyedinma told Goal that the Fédération Malienne de Football took the decision to prevent their ladies from being humiliated against the red-hot Falcons.

“When I was asked last week on our readiness for the Malians, my reply was that we will beat them anytime and anytime. Their decision to pull out of this game has justified that we can beat them,” Onyedinma told Goal.

“Mali are scared we would beat them silly, moreover their officials feel it’s a waste of resources coming to Nigeria to concede eight goals or more.

“I’m happy we will have enough time to prepare for the Women’s World Cup in Canada. These Olympics and All African Games qualifiers have keep [the Falcons] in here, they ought to have travelled out for a training tour that has been arranged for them since.”

“Ideally, they ought to have been in camp at least six weeks before the commencement of the tournament but we had to wait to complete the assignment on the continent first. That was why we wrote to the Malienne Federation to allow us play them a week after the first leg so as to have enough time prepare,” she continued.

“When I meet with the NFF today [Friday], I will be able to know if we the plans we have are still intact.”

She concluded saying the Falcons are poised to challenge for the World Cup claiming Nigeria are not frightened by the presence of big names in the competition.

“All the participating team’s target is the cup and ours is not an exemption,” she added.

“We know there are tough teams in our group but this time around, we are not intimidated by any name because we believe we have the strength and will do our talking in the pitch. You never can tell, we may beat the team who feel they are favorites,” she concluded.

Nigeria had previously defeated the Malian women 9-1 on aggregate to seal a place at the 2015 All African Games.

Obinna Nwobodo ruled out of Fifa U20 World Cup

The Flying Eagles midfielder will not be representing the country at the 2015 Fifa U20 World Cup in New Zealand owing to injury

The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed that Obinna Nwobodo will miss the 2015 U20 World Cup billed for New Zealand.

The Enugu Rangers midfielder who was named on a provisional 35-man squad for the World Cup suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the final of the 2015 African Youth Championship, and will be out for as long as nine months.

The NFF said on their website that they are working with the National Sports Commission to ensure the player is treated abroad.

The Rangers attacking midfielder was named man of the match for the Flying Eagles semifinal win over Ghana at the AYC after he opened scoring with a header off a corner.

He also delivered two assists in a 2-2 draw with Cote d’Ivoire in a group game in Mbour.

Odion Ighalo, Yakubu and Kenneth Omeruo - Nigerians in the Championship: Season Review

Perhaps more so than ever, the Championship has been filled with key Nigerian protagonists this season. Some of the nation’s stars felt the biting reality of failure as they dropped out of the division, others still face the tortuous drama of the playoffs, while one basked in the glory of guaranteed promotion.

In this feature, we look back over the year that was and review the 2014-15 Championship season for Nigeria’s stars

Automatic Promotion

Odion Ighalo is, without a doubt, the great success story of the 2014-15 Championship season—certainly from a Nigerian point of view.

The 25-year-old recently topped our power ranking of Nigerian strikers in Europe’s major leagues, and his 20 goals in only 22 league starts this season mean that he ends the year joint-fourth in the Championship scoring charts.

Watford secured promotion to the Premier League last week, and while they were ultimately pipped to the title by Bournemouth—following a late draw against Sheffield Wednesday—their talented squad will be relishing the chance to join the elite next term.

Nigerian fans should be excited about seeing another of our fine hitmen join the Super Eagles strikers already in the EPL—Ighalo threatens to outscore the lot.

Nigerians Abroad: Anichebe, Ideye seek United scalp

Newcastle travel to Leicester on Saturday in the knowledge that another loss would see them inch closer to the relegation places at the bottom of the table. The Magpies have lost seven games on the bounce, making them the league’s worst team on form, while Leicester were spunky in their midweek loss to Chelsea. Sammy Ameobi will hope to pitch in to some degree at least to stave off the threat of relegation.

QPR are swiftly running out of games in which to save themselves from the drop, and their next stop is Anfield. They face a Liverpool side desperate to hold on to fifth, and though the Reds have not been an awesome attacking force this year, on their day they are well capable of causing a backline containing Nedum Onuoha plenty of problems.

West Brom should face a perilous trip to Old Trafford. The Baggies are seven points clear of the relegation zone, but are still to travel to Arsenal and face champions-in-waiting Chelsea, so could do with a result here. They will however need their pair of Nigerian strikers to get firing – Victor Anichebe has been preferred in recent weeks to record-signing Brown Ideye, but neither is in particularly sparkling form at the moment.