The 5th edition of the Igala Nations Cup kicks of Tuesday 10th August 2021 in 3 centres across the ancient Igala kingdom.At the Idah centre debutants Adusuf football Club of Akaka, Igalamela left it deep into the second half before overcoming a spirited B2K academy who have raced into an early lead in the 35 minutes of proceedings. Matthew Atokolo has put B2K ahead in the 35 minutes after a fine build up from the middle and were bold enough to hold on to the one goal lead onto the end of the first half.

On resumption of hostilities in the second half,Adusuf fc who are making their debut in the annual Soccer fiesta quickly rediscovered their rhythm and took the game straight to their opponent and in the 72 minutes,their effort paid off as Umar Yahaya took advantage of an opportunity that came his way to restore parity.Thereafter,Adusuf fc became alive once again as they continue to pile more pressure on B2K who are yet to recover from the equalizer.

Their consistent pressure and fine run of form in the dying minutes paid off 2 minutes to the end of regulation time when another prodigy Hayatudeen Ali latch on a loose ball to put the game beyond the reach of B2K academy to start brightly armed with the vital 3 points.

ANKPA AXIS

At the Ankpa axis,Ankpa United fc came from behind to ensure they start on a winning note against Okpo United fc who raced into an early lead after Apeh Amen at the Ankpa township stadium put them in the driving seat early in the 34 minutes.Ankpa United fc responded almost immediately and it paid of 2 minutes later when Kabiru Habib capitalized on a defensive loophole to power home the equalizing goal to the admiration of a handful of Ankpa fans.Both side thereafter couldn’t register their names on the scoresheet despite all entreaties and efforts.Scores remain like that till the and of the first half.

Upon resumption of the second half ,both side picked up from where they left off as they went For each other’s jugular but it was Ankpa United fc that was ferocious in front of goal as their consistency and constant drive towards goal paid off in the 78 minutes when Adams Jibrin scored from around the opponent’s 18 to give his side the winner, a vital 3 point and a perfect start to the 5th edition of the tournament.

DEKINA AXIS

At the CSS Agala Ate,one of the best playing pitch with natural grass in Igala land where All Stars fc of Anyigba and Bassa United engaged themselves in a fierce battle for the 3 maximum points,fans who thronged the venue didn’t leave empty handed as they were entertained and thrilled to classic football skills.

The match lived up to its earlier publicity as one of the star match of the opening round due to the solidity and depth of the two side.Both teams couldn’t break each others defense until the 89th minutes when it seems both side were going to share the spoils, Achimugu Favor broke the deadlock with a fine solo run that resulted in a goal to send the Anyigba soccer enthusiasts into a frenzy and wide jubilations.

Action continues in the 5th edition of the Igala nations cup in the 3 axis centres.

GODWIN WAMBEBE
DIRECTOR MEDIA
IGALA NATIONS CUP
10th August 2021

Plans are underway for the birth of Igala united football club after the conclusion of this year’s Igala Nations cup,one of the most prestigious football tournament in the North Central region of Nigeria later this month.

The Director of Technical of the annual prestigious tournament Coach Abubakar kamar gave this hint to newsmen at Idah the ancient seat of the Igala kingdom after the second semifinal match between Pele fc of Dekina and Okpo united fc.

Coach Kamar said all necessary plans are been perfected for the birth of a football club in the Eastern senatorial district of kogi state to be known as Igala united to represent the nine local government areas that constitute kogi east.

According to the Coach/philanthropist, players from the Nine Local government areas who participated in and distinguished themselves at the tournament will be invited for screening in January and 30 of them who distinguish themselves will be selected to form Igala United football club.

He went further to make a passionate plea to all well meaning individuals, elites, illustrious sons and daughters of the land and the nine local government area administrations for support and subventions to enable the players that will be selected,coaches and management of the proposed team to be placed on monthly allowances which will motivate them to give in their bests.

According to him,after all these are achieved,it won’t end there,The idea for the floating of the football club is also to enable the team register to play in the Nigeria League where players discovered can be exposed to National and international football.He said “Football has become a lucrative,meaningful and viable venture that has provided job opportunities and also provided a surviving platform for many youths across the globe whether educated or not.

Many soccer loving and well meaning kogites have lauded this highly profitable initiative describing it as timely and innovative as it will help reduce to a appreciable minimum the incidents of anti social vices in the senatorial district and the state at large.

Golden boys football club of Ogbogbo this afternoon beat B2k academy of Ajaka by a lone goal to qualify for this year’s igala nations cup finals.In a tense match played at CSS Agala Ate in Anyigba,Dekina LGA,the Ajaka boys started brightly and went forward controlling the tempo of the match with sublime and scintillating football skills but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Towards the end of the first 45 minutes,Golden boys fc charged at the solid defence of B2k but still couldn’t register a goal. Ilemona sule, a bright prospect discovered few seasons ago at the competition became a thorn in the flesh of B2k academy defence

After putting the defenders of B2k academy high on there toes for a better part of the 1st half,his constant threat paid of when he was given a well laid pass which he professionally sent into the opponent’s nets for the first and only goal of the first semifinal game of the tournament.

All effort by both teams at the resumption of hostilities in the second half to score goals and more goals proved futile as the Coach Usman Kolofu(OJB) tutored side held on to their one goal tally until the final blast of the whistle by the no nonsense center referee from Ankpa.

After the match,An elated Coach Kolofu said the victory over B2k academy is a victory for all soccer lovers, fans and the entire football family at ogbogbo who came to cheer them to victory..

He thanked and appreciated the effort of the organixlzers for maintaining standard in the competition through proper officiating of all matches played so far.

Okpo United fc will square it up against Dekina united tomorrow 6th December 2020 at Idah Central field, qua-Iboe primary school, Idah at 3pm in the second semifinal match .

One of the few teams yet to lose a match at the ongoing Igala Nations cup,Okpo football club has qualified for the semifinals of the tournament after a barren draw against Omala football club yesterday at Agala-Ate,Anyigba.

The Agala-Ate football pitch,one of the best in Igala land was agog yesterday with fans and spectators who came from different part of the Eastern senatorial district to cheer their teams to victory.Before the encounter,Okpo fc who have amassed 6 points and topping group A from the Ankpa axis were in need of a point to guarantee them smooth passage to the semis while their opponent in the encounter,Omala fc needed 3points to move to the last 4 of the annual tournament.The draw means Okpo are through to the last 4 while Omala will have to wait for the outcome of the clash between Ankpa and Dekina

Both teams gave good account of themselves but couldn’t find the back of the net in regulation time.Speaking after the match at Agala-Ate,the coach of Okpo fc, Coach Faruk Ojomakpene said despite the barren draw,he is happy to have made history by qualifying his team for the semifinals of this year’s edition of the igala nations cup and promised to work on his boys so as to see them perform better subsequently.He however commended his opponents for putting up a five-star performance describing them as a very good side with bright prospect who can heap surprises at anytime.

Dekina fc are 3rd in group A with 3points and will leapfrog Omala into 2nd place and move to the last four in their last group match tomorrow if they are able to overcome Ankpa fc who sits bottom of the group with no point.

The Group A match between Ankpa fc and Dekina united which comes up tomorrow at CSS Ajaka will round up proceedings in the Group stage

Golden boys fc of ogbogbo have qualified for the semi-final of this year’s edition of the Igala Nations cup after trouncing Young Stars of Ibaji by 9 goal in Idah yesterday.

The boys from ogbogbo needed it just to make sure their passage to the semifinals was certain and the trio of Nnamdi Gabriel,Ilemona Sule and Wahab Tijani all rose to the occasion to ensure they give Coach OJB something to cheer about after the disappointing result of their last match.
With this win,Golden boys leapfrog Hope academy of Ajaka into second place in Group B automatically qualifying for the semifinals.

When asked how he managed to pull this convincing result,Coach OJB said after his team were held to a goalless draw in their last encounter and putting into consideration the fact that a win in this game will take his team straight to the semis, he had to deploy other tactical proficiency to overcome the ibaji boys.He commended his bots for not letting him down.

Kamar football academy will be locking horns with Ankpa united today at the Ankpa township stadium at 3pm.

Hope Academy fc of Ofu yesterday beat High Hill fc by a lone goal to move second in Group B of the ongoing 4th edition of Igala Nations cup.

Tijani Muktar who has already recorded 6 goals to top the scorers chart added to his tally in the dying minutes of the first half to comfortably stay in the race for the highest goals scorers award.

The Chief Director/Technical of the Igala Nations Cup, Coach Abubakar Kamar after the match applauded the performance and display of both teams after the match saying the tournament has continue to improve with each edition.He specifically thank the supporters of both teams and indeed for conducting themselves in an orderly manner all through the encounter and promised that all available measures will be put in place to ensure that every match is peaceful and orderly.

As it stands at the moment,B2k Academy of Ajaka is seating pretty atop group B with 8 points and have already qualified for the semi finals of the competition

Hope Academy fc of Ofu is second in Group B with 7 points while Golden boys fc of Ogbogbo are third in the group with 5 points and a match at hand and will have to beat Young stars fc of Ibaji in their last group game this afternoon to pip Hope academy fc to confirm a semi final berth from the group

The much anticipated talk of the town clash between Golden boys fc of Ogbogbo and B2k Academy at the ongoing Igala Nations cup came to a goalless end yesterday at the Qua-Iboe primary school central pitch Idah.

The match lived up to its earlier publicity as both teams showed class being familiar foes.

Despite Golden boys of Ogbogbo enjoying an appreciable percentage of the possession throughout the encounter, they couldn’t translate their dominance into something meaningful as None of the two teams were able to break the deadlock and it continued like that till the center official signal the end of hostilities.Abdulwahab Tijani of Golden Boys fc who was a constant threat to the the B2k side was voted Man of the match having put up a scintillating performance throughout the encounter.

After the match,the coach of Golden boys fc of Ogbogbo,Coach Usman Kolofu salute the effort of his team for putting up a formidable display against a stubborn B2k Academy. He however was not happy that he had to leave the pitch with just a point despite been one of the favorites to lift this year’s edition.

Asked about his team’s preparation for their next Group match ,the young coach said he has learnt his lesson from this match and will go back to the drawing board to ensure he does the needful ahead of his team’s next match against Ibaji fc which comes up on Friday 20th November 2020 at the same venue

With this scoreless draw, B2K academy armed with 8 points are through to the Semi Finals while Golden Boys FC,second in Group A with five points will desperately need to win their next match against Ibaji fc to book a Semi Finals berth

Today’s Group B clash between High Hill FC and Hope Academy FC which will be played at CSS Ajaka will determine who emerge second in the group as both teams are playing their last group match and are armed with four points each.

But if Golden Boys FC can ride to victory over the Young Stars FC of Ibaji in their last group match, it means Hope Academy FC and High Hill FC are out of this year’s Igala Nations cup.