RandaFooty: Everything Nigerian football, home and abroad

Head Coach of the U20 Boys’ National Team, Paul Aigbogun has called to camp 28 players as the seven –time African champions begin preparations for the qualifying series for 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations. Enyimba FC’s Ikouwem Udoh, who won the Young Player of the Year award at this week’s AITEO-NFF Football Awards, has been called alongside Super Eagles B team –mates Peter Eneji and Nur Muhammed, as well as Nasarawa United’s Douglas Achiv, Akwa United’s Adesina Gata and Kano Pillars’ fleet –footed midfielder Alhassan Ibrahim. Kano Pillars’ Nazifi Yahaya and MFM FC’s goalkeeper Ospino Egbe are also invited.

Akwa lead the pile as we go into Match Day Nine of the 2018 Nigeria Professional Football League. Here are this weekend's games and League table.  Akwa United, MFM and Plateau United won't play this weekend because on continental engagements. Teams who are to play them will rest this weekend. 

All change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end. Alhamdulillah today marks the 10-year anniversary of the creation of FC Yarmalight. It started with a dream, and I0 years later, the dream has culminated into a gargantuan reality. The primary aim of initiating the original Yarmalight Football Academy was to polish young football talents with the view of offering them a future as professional football players. Alhamdulillah, our sacrifice is paying dividends. We have succeeded in bringing up a cream of youth from scratch to full professionals, the team began from a non-league and have gone as far as the second stanza of Nigerian league(NNL). We have produced players up to international level with one of our players representing Nigeria in the victorious 2013 FIFA World Cup, a victory that earned him the National Honours of MON. We at FC Yarmalight will always be proud of that.

So we huffed and puffed our way to the semi-finals of the CHAN tournament in Morocco. It was another come-from-behind win, we did it the hard way again. We had to come from behind to beat Equatorial Guinea in our last group game and we made hard work of the quarter-final tie against the Palancas Negras.

Rivers United will be gunning for a third consecutive home win in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) this season when they face Enyimba International in Port Harcourt on Sunday. United have won on each of the last two occasions they have faced Enyimba in the NPFL in Port Harcourt and will be hoping normal service continues on Sunday. Enyimba however look to be on a renaissance this term and won 1-0 against Nasarawa United in their last NPFL game on Thursday at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar. Stanley Dimgba scored the winner against the Solid Miners and he is likely to start against the ‘Pride of Rivers’ on Sunday, supported by a stellar cast that includes Stephen Chukwude, Chinedu Udeagha and fearsome attacker, Chinonso Okonkwo who makes a return to his old stomping ground. Okonkwo is a darling in Port Harcourt having played his part as United punched above their weight to finish as runners up behind Enugu Rangers in the NPFL two seasons ago.

Nigeria came from a goal down to beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1 to qualify for the quarter-finals of the CHAN tournament in Morocco. The Eagles fell behind in the first half but rallied back to hit three past their opponents to top the group ahead of Libya who also beat Rwanda 1-0 to come second behind Nigeria. Here are some of the highlights from the game last night.

Searching for more goals for FCIU FC Ifeanyiubah striker Godwin Obaje has started the league with a bang  as he scored his third goal in as many games as he helped the Nnewi  side beat Kwara United 2-0 in a week three game of the Nigeria  Professional League on Sunday. Obaje has scored in all the games his side has played this season as he is looking like the striker that won the top scorer award in the 2015/16 season when he banged in 18 goals. He scored on matchday one against Yobe Desert Stars before another goal in the 2-1 away loss to Niger Tornadoes. Obaje opened the scoring for in Sunday’s game before going off injured.