LUCKY EAGLES SURVIVE BENIN! Aiyegbeni’s Penalty Goal Secures Three Points For Nigeria

FOOTBALL:

The Super Eagles of Nigeria secured a hard fought one nil victory over the Squirrels from Benin Republic in Benguela to keep alive their hope of a quarter final berth.
The Nigeria team came into this match knowing that only a win will do their chances of progressing into the quarter finals any good. Coach Shuaibu Amodu made a few changes in the team that lost 3-1 to Egypt on Tuesday by bringing in defender Daniel Shittu and striker Osaze Odemwingie for both Obinna Nwaneri and Yusuf Ayila.

The Eagles did not do their self-confidence any good when they floundered early in defence allowing Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi some space to test them.
It was returnee Odemwingie who restored confidence into the Nigerians’ play when he won a corner after running down the right flank turning his marker. But he would strike the resulting ball out of play into the crowd as the kick came through from Mikel Obi.

Nigeria were soon to be forced back into their own half by a confident Benin attack no thanks to poor marking from the Nigerian midfielders. Against the run of play, Yakubu Ayegbeni missed a one-on-one with the goalkeeper after being fed by Kalu Uche in the 15th minute.

The ball gets played around with both teams turning over possession with ease as Benin win a free kick outside the Nigeria area but Stephane Sessegnon puts it over the bar. It was Sessegnon again in the 38th minute who hit a 30 yard shot on the Nigerian goal but is denied by the crossbar after Vincent Enyeama is left wondering what hit him.

Nigeria win a penalty kick after a goal mouth scramble when Romuald Boco stops Odemwingie’s header with his hand. Yakubu converts the spot kick as Nigeria lead 1-0 with three minutes left for half time.

Nigeria begin the second half the way they ended the first. Mikel wins a free kick which Danny Shittu strikes for a spilled save from Rachad Chitou. Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo is taken off later for Onyekachi Apam after cupping his hamstring.

Benin come close seconds later after a corner kick scramble as Sessegnon’s shot just goes wide of the Nigeria goal. Nouihoum Kobena then sees his shot come off the cross bar as the Squirrels run circles around the Eagles’ defence and wonder why they cannot score.

It is suddenly the Squirrels all the way as they take possession of the midfield and try some fancy play that leaves the Nigerians running all over. They cannot turn all their corner kicks into a goal though as the Nigerians try a fast break substitute Obinna Nsofor who clashes with Chitou injuring the keeper in the process. Minutes later Chitou limps off to be replaced by Djidonou.

It is end to end stuff as both sides look to nick a goal but fail in the last third. Nigeria look tired as the game wore on but they held on even as the Squirrels keep pursuing that elusive equalizer.

After three minutes of added time, referee Henrique de Carvaldo finally put the Nigerians out of their misery and making it three wins out of three for them against Benin in the Nations Cup history.

The victory also means that striker Obafemi Martins becomes richer after his $25, 000 wager with Benin’s Omotoyossi.
The Nigerians will hope Egypt defeat Mozambique in the other group game in order to brighten their chances of making it to the quarter finals.

Togo Forced Home!

Togo’s national team will return home and not compete in the African Cup of Nations, captain Emmanuel Adebayor has said. Gunmen ambushed the team bus in Angola’s Cabinda province on Friday, killing the driver, a squad coach and press officer.

After the initial shock of the attack, Togolese players, their head coach and national football officials all said they would remain in the competition, but their prime minister ordered the team home and sent a plane to bring them back.

“We had a meeting between players yesterday and we told ourselves we were football players and decided to do something nice for our country by playing to pay tribute to those who died,” Adebayor told French radio RMC.

“Unfortunately, the head of state and the country’s authorities have made a different decision, so we will pack and go home.”
Togo midfielder Thomas Dossevi told Reuters: “We’re going home, we’re obliged to, the government wants us to. If they are still going to play matches in Cabinda, there will be more problems there. We’re afraid for the other teams.”

But even as the Togolese plane sat on the tarmac at the airport at Cabinda ready to take the team home, a spokesman for the squad said a final decision had not yet been made.

“We are still talking with the players – no decision has been made yet. Everything is possible,” the spokesman said.

Friday’s ambush shows how easily insurgents can grab world headlines with attacks on soft targets and raises questions about security for the World Cup in South Africa in June, but South African President Jacob Zuma dismissed any comparison.

Team media officer Stanislas Ocloo, assistant coach Amalete Abalo and a driver were killed when gunmen from the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda fired on the team bus in Cabinda, a territory separate from the rest of Angola.

Seven people were wounded including reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale, who is now in a stable condition in a South African hospital after surgery.

Eagles Forced Egypt To. Change Training Venue

Embattled 2010 Africa Cup of Nations organisers faced more embarrassment on Saturday as Egypt were forced to scurry around for a new training venue after finding their Group C opponents Nigeria had been booked to train at the same time.

The organisation of the tournament has been roundly slammed from all quarters and the latest incident, although relatively minor in the greater scheme of things, reflects poorly on those running the competition.

“This mistake clearly reflects the lack of organisation,” Egyptian FA president Samir Zaher said. It also follows the news earlier that Nigeria were forced to divert their chartered flight from Durban, South Africa to Luanda, rather than the city of Benguela, where their pool matches are to be played.

The Super Eagles then had to travel by bus the 400-kilometres to the southern city.

This is ironic in that the Confederation of African Football slammed the Togolese federation for sending their players by bus to Cabinda, ending in the gun attack on Friday that killed three people.

Eagles Coach, Officials Storm Fairmont Zimbali Lodge Camp. Amodu, Ogunjobi Inspect Base Camp For 2010 W/Cup

Technical Committee head of the Nigeria Football Federations (NFF) Taiwo Ogunjobi led Super Eagles coach, Shuaibu Amodu, the team’s media officer and one-time goalkeeper of the national team, Peterside Idah and his counterpart in the NFF, Robinson Okosun on Tuesday to inspect the Fairmont Zimbali Lodge in Durban which will serve as the base camp of the Nigerian side during the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The inspecting officials and Eagles gaffer left their current base, the Riverside Hotel immediately after the morning training and unanimously accepted the standard of the hotel approved by FIFA for the team.

Fairmont Zimbali Lodge is an imposing edifice set within the serene confines of a coastal forest. The Fairmont Zimbali’s proximity to the Riverside Hotel and Spa is just about 20 minutes drive and seven minutes away from the new airport in Durban which will be commissioned in April 2010.

The original Fairmont Hotel was the vision of San Francisco natives, Tessie and Virginia Fair. In 1907, after a one-year delay due to damage from the San Fracisco earthquake, the Fairmont opened its doors for the first time.

The NFF chiefs also inspected the proposed training pitch which the Super Eagles will use during the June 11-July 11, 2010 finals in South Africa.

End in sight for Nev?

Neville set to quit football
Gary Neville is set to retire from football at the end of this season. The Manchester United hero is out of contract in June and there are no plans to offer a new one. Right-back Neville, 34, has been hit by a series of injuries over the last two years. Fellow United veterans Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have new one-year deals. Ex-England star Neville has played 583 first-team games so far in a superb 18-year career at Old Trafford.
Neil Custis, The Sun

The Times also feature a story on the United skipper and claim he will hold talks with the club at the end of this month to resolve his future. The paper includes quotes from ex-Red Nicky Butt, who admits that this season could be his last as a player.

Meanwhile, the Daily Star reckons Nemanja Vidic and Sir Alex did have a bust-up before he missed United’s FA Cup exit to Leeds. The defender denied reports on Wednesday, but the Star insists words were exchanged.

Ahead of Saturday's clash with United, Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell says the Blues are determined to keep their unbeaten run going. "We are difficult to break down, difficult to score against and we have the resilience to keep a clean sheet," he said.

Agali Arrested In Holland For Carrying Two Fake Passports

Victor Agali, a Nigerian-born footballer for Greek club Levadiakos, has been arrested at Schiphol airport near Amsterdam for carrying two fake passports, Dutch military police said on Monday.

“At passport control, on December 27, he (Agali) was found to be in possession of a fake passport,” said gendarmerie spokesman Robert van Kapel.
Upon further investigation, the 31-year-old striker in transit at Schiphol on a voyage from Lagos to Athens, turned out to have two sets of fake travel documents, said Van Kapel.

“In the one, the page with his personal particulars has been modified, in the other it was the visa,” he said.
A panel of judges will decide on Wednesday whether or not to extend the footballer’s provisional detention, said a spokeswoman for the Haarlem district court.
Agali, who had been returning to Greece after visiting his wife and child in Nigeria, pleads innocence, his lawyer Bob Kaarls told AFP.

“The (first) passport judged problematic by officials was sent to him in this form by post by Nigerian authorities in 2007,” he said.
Dutch authorities claimed that the Schengen visa contained in the second document, issued by Cyprus, did not meet the requisite standards, said Kaarls.
Kaarls said Levadiakos has indicated its willingness to pay the bail to secure their striker’s freedom.

Agali has played for French teams including Marseille (1996-97), Toulon (1997-98) and Nice (2004-2005), as well as Germany’s Schalke 04 (2001-2004).
On Christmas Day, a 23-year-old Nigerian was arrested in the United States for the botched bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane bound for Detroit from Schiphol.

Martins, Aiyegbeni chase Yekini’s record

Nigerian strikers, Yakubu and Martins are in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations to surpass the record established by a former African Footballer of the Year, Rashidi Yekini.

Both players have scored 18 and 15 goals respectively for the national team. Their total goals haul of 33 is four fewer than the 37 scored by the country’s all-time top scorer Rashidi Yekini.
Although, Aiyegbeni and Martins are still struggling to regain their fitness as Nigeria depend more their contributions to progress in the competition.

Meanwhile, Nigeria go to Angola, knowing they have a great deal to do if they were to prove to the world that they are not a spent force in African football. After enjoying dominance in the 90’s, when the Super Eagles qualified for their first World Cup and won a second AFCON trophy in Tunisia, the Nigerians have since suffered a decline in fortunes, missing out on Germany 2006.

Once one of the Africa’s most feared sides, coaching and managerial/administrative problems have since conspired to render them incompetent at times. Nigeria’s technical deficiencies were exposed during the last AFCON, where they lost to Ivory Coast in the first game, played out a goalless draw with Mali and managed a hard fought 2-0 win over Benin before succumbing to an inspired ten-man Ghana, 2-1, in the quarter-finals.

A once-great team quickly earned itself the derisive appellation ‘Super Chickens’ among many African football fans after their worst Nations Cup performance since crashing out in the first round in 1982.
Nigeria have since tried to rebuild after the Berti Vogts’ era by re-engaging the services of local Coach Shuaibu Amodu in the German's stead. Winning nine matches and drawing three during qualification was not enough to calm the nerves of a country hungry for the all-conquering performances of years past, and many have criticised Amodu’s tactics.

Nigeria’s preparations for Angola have been overshadowed by calls for a new foreign coach to be hired. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have ordered Amodu to earn, at least, a semi-final finish if he wants to keep his job for the World Cup in South Africa.

Eagles will play in Group C based in Benguela against back-to-back champions, Egypt, Mozambique and Benin. They will face three tricky ties with opponents who play diverse kinds of football.
In Egypt, they will encounter the organisational ability of North African teams but with Mozambique they will come up against a team that plays with the kind of flair football synonymous with South America. In Benin, Nigeria will come up against another West African side that are always spoiling for a fight and trying to overcome their larger neighbours' overbearing dominance.

The Nigerians will have to find their rhythm and hope that everything works together administratively for them to reach their goals in Angola. Nigeria qualified from Group B of the qualification round ahead of Tunisia and finals group opponents, Mozambique. Three wins and three draws made them look ordinary, and they will have a great deal to prove to critics when the tournament kicks off, as they look to show that they are able to hold their own on a continent where there are no longer football minnows.

Amodu comes to Angola with an AFCON bronze medal previously won with the Super Eagles at Mali 2002. In his third spell as Nigeria coach, Amodu has become a kind of saviour for the national team. It was he whom the administrators turned to when the Super Eagles faced elimination from qualifying for Japan/South Korea 2002 after the sacking of Dutchman, Johannes Bonfrere.

His successful tinkering the team to ensured that Nigeria made the Asian World Cup party but he was sacked after the team’s bronze-medal finish at AFCON 2002. Were he to win the tournament this time around, he would surely make it difficult for his countrymen to end his dream of leading the side to the World Cup in South Africa.

Nigeria know exactly what they want out of the tournament, and although a semi-final berth would probably be enough to keep the coach on for the World Cup approach, a title is the main objective in the minds of fans and players.

Eagles do not look like the invincible team that they were in times past and will struggle against more attack-minded teams. The team already have an ultimatum set for them: make the semi-final or face a shake up. It does not look like a team capable of winning the tournament but it might yet have some fight in it.