PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2015
Page 42
Sport
Eagles in must-win match against Swaziland
Benin eye upset without Gestede at Ouagadougou
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enin will be eager to hold onto their aggregate advantage when they face Burkina Faso in a second-leg 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Stade du 4 Août today. The Squirrels beat their more fancied opponents 2-1 in the firstleg last Thursday and will advance onto the third round with a draw in Ouagadougou. Goals from Stéphane Sessègnon and Babatounde Bello steered Benin to a narrow win in Cotonou, but the Burkinabe did manage a vital away goal through Prejuce Nakoulma. Benin will again have to do without Aston Villa ace Rudy Gestede, the burly striker had to be substitute at half-time in the first-leg
and has since returned to England to continue his recovery from a knee injury. Head coach Omar Tchomogo is also sweating on the availability of defender Khaled Adénon and midfielder Babatoundé Bello, but will be able to call on SM Caen defensive midfielder Jordan Adéoti who pulled out of the reverse fixture due to injury. The Stallions will be a different animal on home soil and will once again rely on the likes of Chelsea’s Bertrand Traoré and stalwarts Aristide Bancé and Jonathan Pitroipa. Burkina Faso has dropped 17 places to 93rd in the latest FIFA world rankings, Benin sit in 103rd.
Aristide Bancé of Burkina Faso
Congo to finish off Ethiopia at Brazzaville today
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Ahmed Musa of Nigeria beats Mkhweli Sanlele of Swaziland in Lobambo
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uper Eagles of Nigeria are condemned to beat Swaziland today in Port Harcourt to advance to the league stage of the qualifying tournament for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Swaziland held star-studded Nigeria to a scoreless draw in the first-ever meeting between the two teams on Friday in Lobambo. Today’s kick-off is 4pm Nigerian time at the Adokie Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt. The Southern Africans were resolute in defence and limited their more famous opponents to just a handful of chances for their enthusiastic fans to later celebrate a confidence-boosting draw. The Eagles midfield again lacked creativity and so forcing the strikers like Odion Ighalo and Obafemi Martins to fall back deep to be part of the game. Swaziland coach Harries Bulunga said his team is still capable of upsetting the threetime African champions in front of their own fans. “We still believe. Our defence was superb (in the first leg), but we were not that sharp upfront,” Bulunga said. “We’re underdogs, no one expects us to win, but we can fight against the big dogs. “It will be difficult to stop them from scoring especially as they are playing at home. They will come at us, most of their stars did not shine
as expected, and so they will now want to impress. “We will be patient, but we will stop them because my boys are determined even though they are not professionals.” Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh admitted his team was not at their best in Swaziland. “We can’t give any excuses, we did not bring out ‘A’ game to the pitch,” he said. Captain Ahmed Musa said they will step up their game to guarantee their passage to the next round of the qualifiers. “We are home and we will do much more and that means Swaziland have to be ready for us,” said the CSKA Moscow forward. “We have put the draw in Swaziland behind us that is in the past. We know the importance of this second leg, what we need is victory, that we are going for and that we will get to progress in the qualifiers.” Swaziland are set to miss two starters from last week’s 0-0 draw - Mbabane Swallows attacking midfielder Felix Badenhorst is nursing a hamstring after he suffered a cut that needed stitches in the game and Royal Leopards Simunye midfielder Mxolisi Lukhele has a shoulder complaint. Nigeria midfielder Rabiu Ibrahim is nursing a knee injury and he is not likely to start as Oliseh plans to ring some changes for this clash.
Congo striker Thievy Bifouma
ongo will welcome Ethiopia in Brazzaville today, in the return leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tie. The Red Devils are taking a one-goal advantage into the game, after securing a precious 4-3 win in Addis Ababa during a drama-packed first leg. One goal down after 41 minutes in the Ethiopian capital, the visitors managed to level before the break through Thievy Bifouma, before firing three goals past the Walya Antelopes’ keeper in less than 20 minutes in the second half, courtesy of Fabrice Ondama, Delvin Ndinga and Hardy Binguila. And while Dawit Fekadu and Shimeles Bekele narrowed the deficit in the last ten minutes, Ethiopia is facing an uphill task in Congo, where they will need to win by two or more goals to progress to the group stage. “I had said we were going to Ethiopia not for a holiday but to get an important win, and I am very happy we achieved our target despite our opponents also giving us a hard time,” Congo coach Claude Leroy noted. “We want to go back to Brazzaville and finish off and book our ticket to the group stage. We have taken note of the positive and negative from the first leg, and we will make amends when we face Ethiopia again.”
Why I quit Enyimba – AnyansiAgwu reveals
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Felix Anyansi-Agwu
n a classic case of quitting when the ovation is loudest, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, has given reasons why he opted to exit his role as Chairman of one of Nigeria’s most successful clubs, Enyimba International FC. Mr. Anyansi announced his exit on Sunday just after leading the Peoples’ Elephants to a record seventh Nigeria league title and the respected football administrator revealed that his decision was necessitated due to health reasons and endless pressures from those eyeing his coveted position. “I just had to quit because the pressure from people who felt that I have stayed too long is just too much. Beyond that, I also had to take a look at my health because the job is taking its toll on me,” Mr. Anyansi said. Mr. Anyansi, who is also chairman of the NFF technical committee, said he was convinced that it was the best time to throw in the towel as the conducive environment to deliver at optimum level was gradually evaporating. “I felt the right time to throw in the towel is now after seeing the side win an unprecedented seventh league title. In football, you need a conducive atmosphere to work and when such condition is lacking you must give way. I have built a very solid foundation that anybody coming after me can build on, I feel fulfilled to have contributed my quota to the development of football in my state, country and even Africa,” Mr. Anyansi submitted. During his memorable 16-year reign as Enyimba boss, Mr. Anyansi helped the Peoples Elephant win all their major honours, including two CAF Champions League and seven league championships among other trophies and accolades.