The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kingsley Sokari

  • CHAN: Salami, 17 others for Eagles’ camp

    CHAN: Salami, 17 others for Eagles’ camp

    Warri Wolves striker, Gbolahan Salami, will lead 17 other home-based players to Super Eagles’ Port Harcourt training camp ahead of next month’s CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso.

    Coach Sunday Oliseh, africanFootball.com gathered will stick with the players he worked with prior to the African Nations Cup qualifier in Tanzania earlier this month.

    “The home-based Eagles for the CHAN qualifier will be the same players who trained for the AFCON qualifier in Tanzania,” a top official informed africanFootball.com.

    “This means that the six players from the league who have been picked for the friendlies against DR Congo and Cameroon in Belgium will join up with the rest of the players in Port Harcourt after those matches.”

    Salami was last month dropped from the team because of problems with his international passport.

    Others invited to camp are – Ifeanyi Matthew (El Kanemi Warriors), Tunde Adetunji (Sunshine Stars), Usman Mohammed (FC Taraba), Godwin Obaje (Wikki) and Ezekiel Bassey, Kingsley Sokari, Idris Aloma (Enyimba)

    The team training camp will open on October 4.

    Nigeria hosts Burkina Faso in Port Harcourt on October 18, while the return leg in Ouagadougou comes up a week later.

    The overall winners will qualify for the 2016 CHAN in Rwanda.

  • AAG: Nigeria down Ghana 2-0

    AAG: Nigeria down Ghana 2-0

    Nigeria on Wednesday defeated the defending All Africa Games champions Ghana 2-0 to book a place in the semi-finals of the football event of this year’s tournament.

    Nigeria’s final Group B match against Senegal, who drew 0-0 with Ghana on the opening day, will determine the overall winners of the group following the last-minute withdrawal of Egypt, africanFootball.com reports.

    Junior Ajayi opened scoring for the Dream Team in the 55th minute and Kingsley Sokari made the game safe three minutes from time.

    The Nigerians were on the front foot in the first half with Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori his team’s most outstanding player, making several outstanding saves in the one-sided encounter.

    Oghenekaro Etebo was denied from point-blank range by the Ghanaian goalkeeper a minute before half time.

    However, Nigeria finally made its dominance count 10 minutes after resumption when the dangerous Etor Daniel whipped-in the ball from the right for Ajayi to coolly slot home.

    The second goal was even more sublime. Sokari combined with skipper Azubuike Ikechukwu on the edge of the Ghanaian box and the Enyimba midfielder continued his run before he lifted the ball over the rushing Ofori for a superb finish.

  • Why Sokari transfer crashed – Esperance

    Why Sokari transfer crashed – Esperance

    Tunisia giants Esperance has said the move for Dream Team VI midfielder, Kingsley Sokari, collapsed because there are more than enough foreign players in the team and the new coach rejected more signings.

    Sokari was in Tunis to negotiate a deal and probably go for medical after agreeing terms with the former African champions, but he has since returned to Nigeria without a contract, africanFootball.com reports.

    However, Enyimba claimed its management put the plug on the transfer after Esperance failed to come up with the transfer fee agreed between the two clubs.

    “Esperance Sportive de Tunis manager waived the recruitment of Nigerian Kingsley Sokari after consultation with the coach Jose Anigo,” the club said..

    “Indeed, given the number of foreigners already present, our club would rather enlist a foreign player more in line with the needs of the team.”

    Nigerian duo of Emem Eduok and Bernard Bulbwa are already with Esperance.

  • Sokari to join Esperance

    Sokari to join Esperance

    Enyimba midfielder, Kingsley Sokari, whose stock was enhanced by his impressive performance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, has been snapped up by Tunisian giants, Esperance.

    Goal reports that a deal has been agreed between Enyimba and Esperance for the ex-Kano Pillars’ midfielder’s transfer.

    He made three appearances for the Flying Eagles at the World Cup, scoring once in the team 4-0 victory over North Korea.

    Sokari has also been capped by the Super Eagles, making his debut in a friendly against Ivory Coast in January.

  • Nigeria thrashes Korea DR in WYC

    Nigeria thrashes Korea DR in WYC

    …  Flying Eagles maul Asians 4-0

    Nigeria’s Flying Eagles on Thursday morning defeated the North Korea junior national team 4-0 in a group E match of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup taking place in New Zealand.

    The African champions needed a win to restore confidence after dramatically losing 2-4 to Brazil in their opening game of the competition on Monday.

    Head coach, Manu Garba dropped the team top stars – Success Isaac, Musa Yahaya and Kelechi Iheanacho from the starting XI with Bernard Bulwa, Saviour Godwin and Kingsley Sokari restored to the starting line up in their place, supersport.com reports.

    Goalkeeper, Joshua Enaholo was also given the nod to start despite his blunders against the five-time world champions on Monday.

    In a first half lacking in genuine quality, goal chances were at a premium as the Koreans defended in numbers, ostensibly in a bid to avoid a repeat of the humiliating 1-5 reverse suffered against Hungary on match day one.

    One of Nigeria’s few clear cut openings in the first half arrived in the 18th minute when Awoniyi was played through by Sokari but the attacker failed to keep his composure in the box and the chance was wasted.

    Seven minutes later, Bulbwa was brought down at the edge of the Koran box as the Asians defended for dear life.

    Captain, Musa Mohammed delivered the set piece well enough but the Korean goalkeeper, keeper Cha Jong-hun saved unconventionally before beating out the rebound by Awoniyi in impressive fashion.

    A minute later, Awoniyi warmed the palms of Jong-hun again as the Nigerian onslaught on the Korean goal continued

    The Koreans mustered a couple of half chances before the break but neither side could get the breakthrough.

    Surprisingly, it was the underdogs that almost scored first as the second half commenced in frenetic fashion.

    Jo Kwang-myong hit the side netting but the effort would not have counted as he had been flagged offside moments earlier.

  • Garba tips Awoniyi, Iheanacho Sokari to shine at WYC

    Garba tips Awoniyi, Iheanacho Sokari to shine at WYC

    Taiwo Awoniyi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Kingsley Sokari and Moses Simon are the players Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba has picked to shine at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which begins next week.

    Awoniyi’s goals helped the Flying Eagles to win the African Youth Championship in March, Iheanacho is firing again after injury, while Enyimba midfielder Sokari has broken into the first team and Moses Simon proved his worth by clinching the Belgian league championship with Gent.

    “Right from the qualifiers, Taiwo Awoniyi has been very consistent and he has improved match after match. He is a player who gets into a scoring position better than any other player,” africanFootball.com quoted Garba as saying in an interview.

    “I believe if he stayed calm, he will be one player who will do very, very well at the World Cup.

    “There are some others like Kelechi Iheanacho, who was the best player at the last U-17 World Cup. If he was free of injury, he will hit very big as well.

    “There is also Kingsley Sokari. If he listened very well and works very hard too, he will have a great World Cup.

    “You cannot forget a player like Moses Simon, who has been fantastic in Belgium, he will be great.”

    Garba is upbeat about the quality running through the Flying Eagles that he predicted the team to produce both the best player and top scorer at the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.

    “I believe the best player and highest scorer (of the World Cup) will come from my team,” he tipped.

  • ‘I can make the difference’

    ‘I can make the difference’

    Super Eagles new invitee, Kingsley Sokari has promised to make the difference in today’s make or mar African Nations Cup qualifier against the Red Devils of Congo in Port Noire.

    Speaking exclusively to Sportinglife, the Enyimba International mercurial midfielder said “first, I have to thank God and the Coaches for giving me the opportunity to be called to camp. The first day I arrived camp, I was a little jittery, because I had the opportunity of interacting with some of our big players thatI have been watching on television for a long time. But, after that day, I made up my mind to take the bull by the horns, and decided to establish myself in the team, and I have seen that I have all it takes to make maximum impact in the game.

    This is to say that If I am given the opportunity in today’s match, I will surely make the difference”.

    Continuing, he said “I watched the Congolese when they came to play us here in Calabar, and I want to tell you that I know their weak points and will surely capitalize in it when the need arises. I know very well that the match would not be an easy one, but I want to assure all Nigerians that the Super Eagles would surely come out victorious at the end of the day”. He appealed for the support of all Nigerians in the match.