The Nation Newspaper

Tag: scoring

  • Adetunji reveals goals scoring secret

    Adetunji reveals goals scoring secret

    Sunday Adetunji has revealed the secret of his scoring prowess for Abia Warriors, the club he joined at the beginning of the season after scoring a brace to take his season tally to nine.

    Adetunji told SportingLife that his eagerness to surpass last season’s goals haul of 10 is the motivating factor and that having scored nine already, he hopes to get up to 20 league goals this season.

    The former 3SC striker thumbed up ABS for their display in Umuahia but praised his teammates who never gave up despite the goals coming late in the game.

    Abia Warriors are now fifth on the log with 25 points from 17 games.

  • Omoniwari distraught despite scoring brace

    Omoniwari distraught despite scoring brace

    • Says team mates must recoup loss points in Warri

    Two goal hero during Akwa United’s 2-3 home loss to Enugu Rangers, Fortune Omoniwari has rued the Promise Keepers’ loss to the Flying Antelopes in Uyo while stressing that he and his team mates must fight like wounded lions in the remaining 10 matches of the season to recoup loss points.

    Omoniwari told SportingLife that he would have loved to swap his goals with Akwa United’s victory if he had the chance to do that but that they must  be prepared to surmount the remaining matches with all calmness starting from their road trip to Warri against Warri Wolves on Sunday.

    Omoniwari told SportingLife: “This is a very painful loss because we had anticipated a home win to add to the progress we have made. I would have

    loved we won the match than the two goals I scored today(Saturday).

    “We must work harder to ensure that we get back the points we have lost at home and we must commence that with our road trip to Warri Wolves on Sunday.”

    Akwa United, who are on 36 points from 26 matches, have been beaten three times at home this season by Abia Warriors, Enyimba and now Enugu Rangers and the latest loss will be a big blow to their aspiration to end the season within continental slots.

  • Utaka returns to scoring ways

    Utaka returns to scoring ways

    Former Nigeria international forward,John Utaka scored for Sivasspor in the 3-1 win over Eskisehirspor in the Turkish Super Lig.

    Utaka netted in the 69th minute to temporarily give Sivasspor a 2-1 lead at the Eskisehir Atatürk Stadyumu. The Nigerian’s goal was a combination of sheer strength and ice-cool finishing.

    He received a punted ball from a teammate in midfield and proceeded to hold off Eskisehirspor’s Mustafa Yumlu with impressive upper body strength before turning the hapless defender inside out.

    The hosts’ Brazilian left back Diego Ângelo sensed the danger but as he quickly moved to snuff it out, the quick-thinking Utaka promptly pulled the trigger and hit a delightful shot with the inside of his right foot past goalkeeper Ruud Boffin.

    The 33-year-old Utaka has now scored three league goals for Sivasspor and four in all competitions this season.

  • Goal scoring problem of Insurance —Eguavoen

    Goal scoring problem of Insurance —Eguavoen

    The Sole Administrator of Insurance FC of Benin, Austin Eguavoen, on Thursday said that goal scoring had been identified as a major challenge facing the club.

    Eguavoen spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin against the backdrop of the goalless draw with visiting Globacom Premier League team, Warri Wolves in a friendly game.

    The match was played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin on Thursday.

    He said that though the club was improving by the day, goal-scoring was still a major challenge.

    Eguavoen, a former Super Eagles Head Coach, pledged to work on the team’s goal scoring ability before their Nigeria National League match against Prime FC of Osogbo at the weekend.

    He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the match saying: “I think we are improving every day, we must give it to Warri Wolves, they are more mature.

    “It’s expected of them because they played the Federation Cup final last year and going continental, they are expected to fly Nigeria’s flag. `We are happy with the result; we still have a lot to improve on. I strongly believe that the boys have all it takes to improve,’’ the administrator said.

    Paul Aigbogun, Coach of Wolves said the friendly match was meant to put his team in the right frame of mind for their first away continental match in Cameroon.

    “You know our first continental game in the CAF Confederation Cup is away from home, and so we came here with a team structured to play away from home. `We were a bit unfortunate that we could not slot in a goal but we came here to win,” he said.

    According to him, his team will do their best and ensure that they get a descent result when they travel to Cameroon.

    “We are going there to do our best and try and make everybody proud, no matter what. We will give it 100 per cent attention.

    Aigbogun, however, wished that the league had started before their continental game.

  • Eagles have scoring problem – Keshi admits

    Eagles have scoring problem – Keshi admits

    For the second time running, just like it happened against the Harambee Stars of Kenya in Nairobi, the Super Eagles again frittered many scoring chances in the match against the Brave Warriors of Namibia in the Group F match that ended 1-1 score draw in Windhoek on Wednesday.

    Like the fears expressed by the Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Federation, Barrister Musa Amadu who complained about many chances missed by the Super Eagles attackers in the match away to Kenya which however ended 1-0 in Eagles favour, the Nigerian team ought to have won the game with wide margin.

    Eagles’ handler, Keshi, has now expressed same fears and has vowed to continue to work on the team’s attack to be more potent.

    “We are happy that we did not lose the game in as much as we were in control of the game and ought to have wrapped up the game in the first half. But we need to work hard to win our last match in Nigeria and we will surely do that playing at home against our rival Malawi and we will be home and dry for the last round of the (2014) World Cup qualifiers.

    “It happens (creating several chances but not putting them away) in football and that is football for you. If you have chances you have to score. If we score them then there is no problem. We will keep working and working on our finishing. That was what we did two days before the game.

    “It’s all about concentration. There is a lot of anxiety on the players because they want to score, but they need to calm down a little bit. I believe the Confederations Cup will help us a lot to knit the attack together and it is a matter of time before the attack would gel and start banging in goals,” Keshi disclosed to SportingLife from Namibia.