Globacom Premier League Update: Sunshine in penalty drama in Akure

SUNSHINE Stars today lost two penalty kicks in their Globacom Premier League Week 35 match at the Akure Sports Stadium to settle for a 1-1 draw with visiting Rangers FC of Enugu.
Sunday Emmanuel first lost the spot-kick awarded the Akure-based side in the 18th minute as Rangers later in the 39th minute shot into lead through Chinedu Udeagha's solo effort.
Philip Auta on resumption for the second half equalised for Sunshine.
The homers again through Christian Josiah wasted the spot-kick that would have earned them the maximum points in the dying minutes of the match.
Rangers finished the match with 10 men following the marching orders received by Christian Madu in the 66th minute over his unsporting behaviour.
At the Lekan Salami Stadium, the woes of relegation-haunted Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) were compounded as they forced Enyimba FC to a 1-1 draw.
Andrew Abalogu put the People's Elephant ahead in the 55th minute before 3SC rallied to a leveller through the spot-kick converted by defender Francis Edem in the 82nd minute.
Sharks FC were truly at home in the Garden City as they hammered Heartland FC 3-1 in another mid-week fixture.
Sharks opened the scoring through Jonah Abutu's magnificent free-kick in the 25th minute while Thompson Stowe increased the lead in the 60th minute with a grounder.
The cash-strapped Heartland reduced the tally through Isah Akor Umoru four minutes later with
a long range shot.
Omoniwari Fortune put the game beyond dispute in the 90th minute with a free-kick which caught goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi helpless.
Bayelsa United smiled home with three points courtesy of Azubuike Okechukwu's goal against
Warri Wolves after a goalless first half at the Samson Siasia stadium, Yenegoa.
The Ladan Bosso-piloted side are now on top of the log with 58 points, one ahead of Enyimba as both sides have three games left to know who clinches the coveted trophy.
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Pillars, Kwara Utd back to pitch at 9am Thursday

THE inconclusive Globacom Premier League Week 35 match betweek Kano Pillars and Kwara United will kick off at 9am tomorrow (Thursday) in Kaduna.
The match was called off on Wednesday due to a downpour right in the 32nd minute with Pillars leading 1-0 courtesy of an own goal by Uche John in the sixth minute.
Also, El-Kanemi Warriors will confront Dolphins of Port Harcourt in another Week 35 game tomorrow.
The match was shifted by the League Monitoring Company (LMC) based on the complaints of
Dolphins concerning their safety in the road trip to Maiduguri.
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League table
Matches played, points & goal difs

1. Bayelsa Utd        35   58   +03
2. Enyimba             35   57   +15 
3. Kano Pillars       33   54   +06 
4. Rangers             34   52   +11
5. El-Kanemi         34   52   +05 
6. Sharks               35   50   +02
7. Warri Wolves    34   49   +09 
8. Sunshine           35   49   +05 
9. Gombe Utd       35   49   -06
10. Lobi Stars       35   49   -07
11. Kwara Utd     33   48   +06
12. Dolhins           34   47   -01 
13. Kaduna Utd    34   47   -08 
14. ABS               35   47   -12
15. Heartland        35   46   +08
16. Nasarawa       35   46   -04
17. Nembe City    35   46   -14
18. Akwa Utd      35   44   -07
19. 3SC               35   43   -04
20. Wikki              34   42   -07

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Globacom Premier League Week 35 results

Sharks              3        Heartland       1
Sunshine Stars  1         Rangers         1
ABS                1         Nasarawa      0
3SC                 1        Enyimba         1
Akwa Utd        0        Nembe City    0
Bayelsa Utd     1        W/Wolves       0
Wikki Tourists  2        Kaduna Utd    0
Lobi Stars       2        Gombe Utd      0

Caption: Daniel Akpeyi of Heartland FC, beaten thrice today in the Garden City.

Globacom Premier League Update: Enyimba will fall in Ibadan-3SC coach

COACH of Shooting Stars Sports Club, Hakeem Busari believes nothing will stop Enyimba FC from leaving Ibadan empty-handed when both sides clash in a Globacom Premier League Week 35 fixture tomorrow (Wednesday) at the Lekan Salami Stadium.
Busari aware of the precarious position of the Oluyole Warriors on the log says the strategy to tame the People's Elephant has been designed waiting to be executed.
"We know what to expect from Enyimba and we are fully prepared for it. Our target is to get the three points at stake and we will work hard to achieve this. yes we lost in Aba in the first round but the situation on the ground is not about vengeance.
"There is no doubt that we will be playing under pressure because we are already in the relegation zone but we will try as much as possible to remain calm throughout the game. we won't lose focus and I believe we have what it takes to beat Enyimba.
"Of course yes, our target is to escape relegation and we remain hopeful that 3SC will play in the premier league next season because we are left with four more games and so, it is not yet over until it's over," said Busari.
The relegation-haunted side will no doubt miss its leading scorer, Gbolahan Salami who has been axed by the organising and Disciplinary Committee (o&D) of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for his unsporting behaviour during the ill-fated Week 30 clash with Sunshine Stars in Akure.
However, 3Sc will bank on Philip Asuquo, Tony Edjomariegwe, Osagona Ighodaro, Gabriel Adiukwu
and veteran defender Mutiu Adegoke, among others to force Enyimba leading the log with 56 points out of Ibadan empty-handed.
In another mid-week thriller, banished Kano Pillars will for the first time play Kwara United home away from home as the match is scheduled to hold at the Lokoja Township Stadium.
The Sai Maisugida exponents were humiliated out of Ilorin in the first round after the Samson Unuanel boys recorded a convincing 3-0 victory.
Pillars who are third on the table with 54 points are in dire need of three points to remain in contention for the race to retain the title which they won last year, just as Kwara United are already in cloud nine that the match will hold on a neutral ground this time.
Meanwhile, the match between El-Kanemi Warriors and Dolphins Fc in Maiduguri has been shifted to Thursday according a source close to the League Monitoring Company (LMC) in line with the
prayer of the Garden city side over complaints bothering on their safety.
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League table
Matches played, points & goal difs

1. Enyimba              34   56   +15 
2. Bayelsa Utd        34   55   +03 
3. Kano Pillars        33   54   +06 
4. El-Kanemi          34   52   +05 
5. Rangers              33   51   +11 
6. Warri Wolves     33   49   +09 
7. Gombe Utd        34   49   -06 
8. Kwara Utd         33   48   +06 
9. Sunshine            34   48   +05 
10. Sharks             34   47   +02 
11. Dolhins            34   47   -01 
12. Kaduna Utd    34   47   -08 
13. Heartland        34   46   +08
14. Nasarawa       34   46   -04
15. Lobi Stars       34   46   -07
16. Nembe City    34   45   -14
17. ABS               34   44   -12
18. Akwa Utd      34   43   -07
19. 3SC                34   42   -04
20. Wikki              33   39   -07

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Globacom Premier League Week 35 fixtures, Wednesday, October 2

Sharks          vs       Heartland
Sunshine Stars  vs   Rangers
ABS             vs      Nasarawa Utd
3SC             vs      Enyimba 
Akwa Utd      vs    Nembe City
Bayelsa Utd     vs   Warri Wolves
Wikki Tourists  vs   Kaduna United
Kano Pillars    vs     Kwara United
Lobi Stars      vs     Gombe United
El-Kanemi       vs   Dolphins
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Caption: Shooting Stars players celebrate after scoring during a premier league match in Ibadan.

W/African title:: Nigeria's Great Jude faces Ghanaian boxer, Musa in Lagos

AS Nigerians celebrate the 53rd Independence anniversary across the country on Tuesday, October 1, the place to be remains the Brai Ayonote Boxing Gymnasium inside the National Stadium, Lagos as Jude Ilo battles with Sidiq Musa of Ghana for the West African Boxing Union (WABU) light heavyweight belt.
'Great Jude' who defeated Bassey Ekpeyong in July this year to become the national light heavyweight champion said  in an interview that he is well-prepared for the 12-round showdown with Musa.
"This is a great opportunity for me to go a step further in my boxing career and I won't disappoint Nigerians God willing. I am fighting on October 1 which is Nigeria's Independence Day and this is a boost for me. I appeal to all Nigerians to be at the ringside and give me support even though I have prepared the way I should for this bout," said the business magnate turned boxer.
 The show tagged 'Precise Punches' on the stable of Freels and Threels Promotions will also
feature the light middleweight title defence between champion, Wahab Adebisi and Policeman Sule Olagbade in a 12-round contest.
Jamiu Olabode of the Nigerian Navy will confront Policeman Stephen Nneji in a six-round welterweight challenge as Abolaji Rasheed a.k.a. Rashy King Afonja who joined the professional rank last month trade punches with Dennis Sunday in a light middleweight six-round contest.
Rasheed in a chat expressed his readiness for the bout.
"I am focused and I know I have to be at my best to achieve the best result and that is why I don't underrate any opponent right from my amateur boxing days," the Kwara State-born pugilist who defeated Jamiu Animasahun last month in his professional debut said. 
In the other supporting bouts on the card, WABU bantamweight champion, Sheriff Kareem will face Chibuzor T. Boy while Waidi Usman takes on Paul Chukwuka also in an eight-round featherweight challenge.

Maputo 2013 Afrobasket: Angola retain title

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As Mozambique fail to break jinx

DEFENDING champions Angola on Sunday retained the title they won two years ago as they defeated hosts, Mozambique 64-61 in the final of the 2013 Afrobasket Women's championship decided at the Maxaquene Pavilion, Maputo.
It is the fourth time Mozambique have lost in the final of the continental championship; first in 1986 at home to Zaire (Congo Democratic Republic), 1990 to Senegal in Tunis and in 2003 to Nigeria also in Maputo.
Angola and Mozambique will represent Africa at the 17th edition of the FIBA World Women's Championship scheduled to hold in 2014 in Turkey.
Ten-time winners Senegal had earlier in the day recorded a slim victory over the Lioness of Cameroon 56-53 to place third in the competition.
Senegal took the first and second quarters by 17-13 and 11-10 points to take five points lead into the break on 28-23.
The Cameroonians later came back to win the third quarter 18-22 before the Senegalese picked the final quarter 10-08 to win the game with only three points.
Meanwhile, Nigeria's D'Tigress finished sixth on the log following their 50-57 loss to Mali in Sunday's classification game.
The Scott Nnaji-piloted side after losing in the quarter-final to Mozambique had defeated Cote d'Ivoire 62-53 on Saturday.
Nigeria's conquerors, Mali finished fifth in the competition as Cote d'Ivoire placed seventh while Egypt finished eighth
Cape Verde, Kenya, Algeria and Zimbabwe finished ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th respectively.
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Caption: A player of Angola during their clash with Senegal in the semi-final.

Globacom Premier League Update: Namo grabs 16th goal of the season

NASARAWA United striker, Victor Namo today increased his goal tally to 16 after scoring twice in the 3-0 demolition of Shooting Stars Sports Club in a Globacom Premier League Week 34 game decided at the Lafia Township Stadium.
Solomon Babatunde had opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before Namo already with 14 goals in the kitty scored in the 39th and 42nd minute to compound the woes of relegation-haunted Oluyole Warlords.
Namo is followed closely in the race for the Golden Boot award by Warri Wolves' Oghenekaro Etebo who emerged the hero of the day with a hat-trick.
All Etebo's goals came in the first half as he now boasts 15 goals on the chart.
Another relegation-threatened side Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) of Ilorin suffered a 0-2 loss in the hands of Rangers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
It was a bad day for the youthful ABS who conceded first goal in the 8th minute through Chinedu Udeagha's free kick on a water-logged pitch.
The Flying Antelopes doubled the lead in the 82nd minute through substitute Odah Marshal who ensured the Kabiru Dogo-piloted side returned home empty-handed.
Old war horse, Emeka Nwanna emerged Enyimba's saviour as the Peoples Elephant recorded a 1-0 win over hard fighting Nasarawa United handled by veteran coach, Kadiri Ikhana (MON).
Nwanna a.k.a Ayaya's magnificent header off Egwu Uwadiegwu's free kick in the 37th minute put Enyimba still basking in the euphoria of their Federation Cup victory in contention for the league title.
Tijani Adamu's strike handed down another away defeat to the defending champions Kano Pillars as Kaduna United picked up the three points at stake in a local derby.

Globacom Premier League Week 34 Results

Heartland       0              Sunshine Stars  0
Rangers         2               ABS  0
Nasarawa     3                3SC  0
Enyimba        1               Akwa Utd  0
Nembe          1                Bayelsa Utd  0
W/Wolves      3               Wikki    1
Kaduna   Utd  1              Kano Pillars  0
Kwara Utd     0              Lobi Stars    0
Gombe Utd    1           Dolphins     0
........
Table

1 Enyimba FC           33        55
2 Bayelsa Utd           34        55
3 El-kanemi              34        54
4 Kano Pillars           33        54
5 Rangers                 34        51
6 Warri Wolves        33         49
7 Gombe United      34         49
8 Kwara United       33          47
9 Sharks FC            34         47
10 Dolphins FC      34           47
11 Kaduna United   34          47
12 Heartland FC     34          46
13 Nasarawa Utd    34         46
14 Sushine Stars       33        45
15 Lobi Stars           34         45
16 Nembe City        34          45
17 ABS                   34          44
18 Akwa United      34           43
19 3SC                   33           42
20 Wikki                 34           42

Caption: Victor Namo, leading the goal chart with 16 goals

Globacom Premier League Update: Gaadi out of Enyimba match

VETERAN goalkeeper John Gaadi will not be in action for Akwa United tomorrow (Wednesday) when they take on Enyimba FC at the Emyimba Sports Stadium, Aba in a Globacom Premier League Week 34 game.
Gaadi is being excluded by coach Justin Tenger after his dismal performance last Sunday in Uyo where he let in a goal which made Nasarawa United to escape with a point as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Enyimba still smarting from their Federation Cup triumph according to coach Imama Amakpakabo
want to win the doubles this year saying the team is blessed with tested players who can make things happen.
A win by the Peoples Elephant on paper appears to be a foregone conclusion as they remain
among the first four clubs on the log even with a disputed game against Kano Pillars to be played on a neutral ground, Lagos on a date yet to be fixed.
Fans would miss in Ilorin as the game between Kwara United and Lobi Stars will be played behind closed doors owing to the ban imposed on the home team by the League Monitoring Company (LMC) following crowd trouble.
The Afonja Warriors picked the maximum points when both sides first clashed in the first round at Katsina-Ala thus, the Dominic Iorfa-managed side will go all out on a vengeance mission.
Kwara United are in contention for one of the continental tickets while Lobi are struggling to come out of the murky relegation waters thus would want to leave Ilorin with at least a point.
Interestingly, lanky striker, Lekan Agunloye would lead Lobi Stars' attack against his former team in Ilorin.

Week 34 fixtures, Wednesday, September 25

Heartland    vs       Sunshine Stars
Rangers      vs        ABS
Nasarawa   vs        3SC
Enyimba      vs      Akwa United
Nembe City   vs    Bayelsa Utd
Warri Wolves vs   Wikki Tourists
Kaduna Utd   vs   Kano Pillars
Kwara Utd    vs    Lobi Stars
Gombe Utd    vs   Dolphins
Sharks       vs       El-Kanemi Warriors

Globacom Premier League Week 33 fixtures

Globacom Premier League Week 33 fixtures

Saturday, September 21

Kano Pillars     vs    Warri Wolves
El-Kanemi        vs    Gombe United
Bayelsa United  vs   Enyimba
Dolphins           vs    Kwara United

Sunday, September 22
3SC                  vs  Rangers
Wikki Tourists   vs  Nembe City
Sunshine Stars   vs  Sharks
ABS FC           vs  Heartland
Akwa United    vs  Nasarawa United
Lobi Stars       vs  Kaduna United