OWOSPORTS

Stephen Alfred's 60th minute strike denied Rivers United their  second victory at the ongoing Gold Cup Preseason Tournament decided at the Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin on Friday afternoon. The two teams started the match like a house on fire, firing from all cylinders. Rivers United created the first attempt on goal in the fifth minute of the entertaining encounter when Samuel Akinubi tested the Afonja Warriors goalkeeper, Eze Chidiebere with a ferocious shot. Kwara United's last season top scorer in the Nigeria National League, Micheal Ohanu had a chance to get the opener for his team but his flick header couldn't beat Rivers United goalkeeper, Cole Roberi. The remaining minutes of the first half turned out to be a cagey affair as both teams struggled to find a breakthrough. The second 45 minutes of the game saw both teams scoring a goal each. Stanley Eguma's men were awarded a penalty after a foul on Martins Usule by Lanre Shu...

Only 31 out of appreciable number of players who turned up for Shooting Stars first phase training make the cuts to the second stage of preparations.  This was after two weeks of rigorous training sessions, since Nov 3rd resumption date from the NPFL break. From all corners of the country (some even from neighbouring countries) came different players with the intention of donning the colours of the club but only few were successful this morning at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, after the final screening witnessed by scores of coaches, fans, supporters and other stakeholders. In his reaction after the exercise, the club's General Manager, Mr Rashidi Balogun expresses satisfaction with the quality of players who made the list and the process through which they emerged. " I am very satisfied about those who survived the trials. They are mature and everyone can see it openly. We have never fell short of expectations and very soon the world shall see our new...

Daniel Batholomeu bagged a brace as FC Ebedei pipped the high-flying MFM FC of Lagos in the first game of Matchday Three encounter of ongoing Gold Cup Preseason Tournament played this morning at the Kwara State Stadium, Ilorin. Both teams tango with high tempo from the start, having garnered one (1) point each from their previous games, with the winner to lead the group temporarily. The Olukoya boys announced their dominance early in the game with excellent foot works from enterprising Onuwa Chukwuka setting up the likes of Sikiru Olatubosun and Victor Mbaoma. Glorious chances beckoned on the experienced Olukoya boys who were furiously terrorizing FC Ebedei's lock spot but the likes of Sikiru Olatubosun and Victor Mbaoma were culprits in front of goals. MFM FC safe hand Nasamu Emmanuel, who had been hardly tested for the most part of the first stanza was called into action in thirty nine (39) minute as he denied lanky Gbenga Ayinole from point blank. The youthful s...

Emeka Ogbuh strike in the last minute of the game fashioned out maximum points for the  Rivers United on Thursday evening at the mainbowl of the Kwara Township Stadium against Remo Stars FC. Both teams started brilliantly into the game and it took the Pride of Rivers ten minutes to get an attempt through Gideon Julius but James Faith held it firmly for the Sky Blue Stars. Adebogun Omotayo stood tall to move Remo Stars FC closer in getting the first goal of the game but his attempt went wide before having another lovely chance that went straight into the hands of Emeka Nwabulu. The second half of the game continued just like the first half with numerous chances left to nobody to convert for either sides. Rivers United got the only goal of match via a powerful strike off a rebound from Emeka Ogbuh free kick that was blocked by Remo Stars defender. Head Coach of Rivers, Stanley Eguma feels getting the maximum points against a team l...

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will on Friday know their group phase opponents at the 5th African Nations Championship kicking off on 13th January 2018 in Morocco. The Confederation of African Football has announced that the Draw Ceremony will take place at the stately Hotel Sofitel Rabat, which also hosted CAF’s Extraordinary General Assembly following the first –ever African Football Symposium in Rabat in July this year. The 16 teams that qualified for the finals have been drawn into four pots, from which they will be drawn into four groups of four for the 23 –day, 16 –nation championship. Nigeria, winners of the bronze medals at the 3rd CHAN in South Africa in 2014, have been slotted into Pot 2, alongside Cameroon, Guinea and Zambia. Pot 1 has host nation Morocco, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire and Libya with Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Sudan in Pot 3 and Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania and Namibia in Pot D. Group A will have its base in Casablanca (Morocco’s industr...

The first phase of Shooting Stars' training sessions will come to an end tomorrow at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba after two weeks of thorough screening. The statement by the club's team manager, Dimeji Lawal on Monday indicates that few successful players out of  over 500 prospects who turned up for trials will be picked after the final training in the morning. He further reveals that the new picks would then join the old players to begin the second phase of preparations next Monday for the new football season at the Professional League category, NNL. It would be recalled that Shooting Stars resumed on 3rd November after a four week break from the Nigerian Premier Football League, NPFL.

Pre-season Invitational holds in Kano, Dec. 11-17Club Licensing documentation ends January 5Season ends September 30 Activities to kick-start the 2017/18 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season which began with the on-going club licensing will enter the next stage with the annual NPFL Pre-season tournament from December 11-17, 2017 to usher in the grand season opening matches on January 11, 2018. The schedule of the new season’s activities which has been endorsed by the League Management Company (LMC) will witness a flurry of activities including the induction and orientation workshop for the four newly admitted NPFL Clubs on December 14 and the LMC Pre- Annual General Meeting (AGM)/Consultative Meeting with NPFL participating Clubs on December 16 in Kano where the pre-season tournament will hold. According to Salihu Abubakar, the LMC Chief Operating Officer, other activities scheduled for the month of December include “the draws for the new season, pre-seas...