The Afonja Warriors dropped two precious home points in Ilorin on Sunday after allowing the Port Harcourt dwellers to sneak an important draw at the Kwara State Sports Complex.
Coach Samson Unuanel and his wards couldn't get the vital second goal to guarantee all points after Yahaya Adamu put them at the driver's seat but they allowed Dolphins to claw their way back into the game through Fred Okwara who got the leveller to the delight of club gaffer Stanley Eguma.
Kwara United have a big task on their hands to keep themselves in the top 10 this midweek with a trip to Katsina Ala as visitors of Lobi Stars while Dolphins will seek consolidation with a home duel against bad travellers Gombe United. Kwara United are seventh after 13 matches with 19 points while Dolphins are 12th with 18 points from same matches.
Monday, May 20, 2013
WARRI WOLVES 2-1 KANO PILLARS
The Seasiders are steadily finding their way to the top of the table after their unimpressive start to the season following an important 2-1home win over floundering reigning defending champions, Pillars at the Warri City Stadium on Sunday.
Two quick first half goals from Oghenekaro Etebo (who netted his sixth goal of the season) and Joseph Osadaiye in the sixth and 13th minutes respectively confined the Kano club to their third consecutive road loss and four overall this season. Significantly, it was a halt to the heavy defeats suffered in Enugu (0-4) and Aba (0-3) against Rangers and Enyimba.
Pillars however woke up in the second half and got a deserved goal through Kabiru Umar in the 80th minute but Warri Wolves kept their nerves to hang on to that vital win.
Warri Wolves are 11th with 18 points from 13 encounters while Pillars are second with 22 points with a game less.
Pillars could return to the top again this midweek if they get a routine three points at home to Kaduna United but Warri Wolves must make a long road trip to Bauchi to slug it out with Wikki Tourists.
ENYIMBA 2-0 BAYELSA UNITED
The Peoples Elephant's renaissance at home continued Sunday at the Enyimba
International Stadium, Aba after the club stopped the Yenagoa side 2-0 through
a top class first half performance.
Bayelsa United who were second on the log prior to the tie could have jumped
to the top with an unlikely win but all permutations about their top spot
dreams evaporated before halftime after goals from Ayo Saka and Sibi Gwar in
the 27th and 31st minutes. Saka provided the assist for Gwar's second goal as
the latter took his tally to five in the league this season.
Enyimba are back in the top half based on the win. They have 19 points from
13 games to be placed sixth while Bayelsa United dropped to fifth with 20
points.
The Aba giants will seek an end to their away misery when they make a short
dash to Uyo as guest of Akwa United this mid week while Bayelsa United are at
home in the Yenagoa derby against neighbours Nembe City at the Samson Siasia
Stadium.
HEARTLAND 1-0 ABS
For the first time in almost three years the city of Owerri was agog
again over their darling club's rise to the summit of the premier league
after a hard earned 1-0 win over hard fighting ABS at the Dan Anyiam
Stadium, Sunday evening.
A delightful free kick converted by Amarachi Ukaegbu from a good pass
from Ikechukwu Ibenegbu in the 34th minute of the encounter was all the
Naze Millionaires needed to stage a return to the pinnacle of the
league for the first time in recent years.
It was a follow up to the feat recorded in Ibadan where Heartland
against all odds outwitted 3SC 2-0 at the Lekan Salami Stadium,
Adamasingba last Wednesday.
The defeat meant that the Ilorin outfit has slipped to the bottom of
the table and must do everything fast in their next home tie against
Enugu Rangers on Wednesday. An outright win is non-negotiable for the
privately owned club.
Heartland have a big task of their own if they want to retain their
place at the top when they visit Sunshine Stars of Akure this Wednesday.
If they secure another unlikely win, they are going to remain at the
top. Heartland are currently on 22 points from 12 games, same as Kano
Pillars but they are on top by virtue of their better goals difference
while ABS are at the wrong end of the table with 13 points from 13
encounters to place 19th.
Ahmed Musa's CSKA crowned Russian champions
Ahmed Musa's club CSKA Moscow have been crowned the champions of Russia thanks to a 0-0 draw with Kuban Krasnodar on Friday.It's Musa's first championship title in Europe. The
capital giants could only play out a stalemate against the Europa
League hopefuls, but Zenit St Petersburg side cannot now claim a third
straight title having accrued too few victories in comparison to Leonid
Slutsky's men with just two matches to spare.
Their coach, who was appointed as Juande Ramos' successor at the back
end of 2009, was quick to pay tribute to the club's fans in the wake of
their Russian Premier League success.
"This is my first title so it's hard to describe how I feel," the midfielder told NTV Plus. "I can't describe it. Just happiness. The only problem was that we couldn't score, although we came close several times."This weekend's title triumph was the 11th in CSKA's history and their first since 2006.
Ancelotti has pre-contract with Madrid, says Al-Khelaifi
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi believes that head coach Carlo Ancelotti has already sealed a pre-contract with Real Madrid.
Ancelotti has told PSG that he wants to leave the club for Madrid this summer, but the French giants have no intention of letting go of the 53-year-old without significant compensation.
"I think that he already has a pre-contract with Real Madrid," Al-Khelaifi told Al Jazeera.
"But I do not expect Madrid to have him sign a contract for now. They will be in legal trouble if they do that.
"I have told Carlo that he has an ongoing contract with us. He demanded a contract extension back in March, but Madrid have now come up.
"All we are doing is respect our principles and the contract we have with Carlo. We honour our commitments.
"There are solutions for everyone who wants to break a contract. Negotiations will have to take place to make sure everything goes smoothly."
Ancelotti has been in charge of PSG since December 2011 and guided them to their first Ligue 1 title since 1995.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal: Koscielny strike secures Champions League football for Gunner
Arsenal secured Champions League
qualification for next season with a vital 1-0 win over Newcastle at St
James' Park on the final day of the Premier League season, as Laurent
Koscielny's second-half volley was enough to seal fourth place.
The Gunners' victory meant that regardless of how Tottenham got on against Sunderland at White Hart Lane, they would be the north London side appearing in the Champions League come September.
Arsene Wenger risked Mikel Arteta from the start after the Spain midfielder was given injections in his calf on Friday to patch up the injury he sustained in the midweek win over Wigan, but the decision proved a poor one as the Gunners captain was forced off through injury in the 29th minute.
Newcastle marked Steve Harper's final game by handing him the captaincy for the day, as the goalkeeper reached the end of a 20-year spell at the club. The 38-year-old was afforded a marvellous send-off by Newcastle's supporters as they chanted his name for the duration of the 37th minute, to symobolise the goalkeeper's shirt number.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
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