Chelsea stars Mikel Obi and Victor Moses have pulled out of Wednesday’s friendly against Venezuela, coach Stephen Keshi has disclosed.
Already ruled out of the match in Miami is injury-hit Rennes defender Onyekachi Apam.
Keshi said Sunday that the players had different reasons for not being part of the game, but that should not bring fears to Nigerians as capable replacements have already been named for the encounter .
Mikel for instance has family matters to settle bothering on his future as a father, following some domestic accidents.
“Bright Dike, who stars in the MLS for Timberwolves FC has already been invited to play in his stead and we are sure that he will do well in the encounter, especially as he is based in the United States,” Keshi declared.
For Victor Moses, Sharks winger Gomo Onduku, who has been in splendid form at the national camp has been drafted in and will be part of the team that will travel Sunday night to Miami, Florida for the encounter against Venezuela.
“I have been there before and we don’t have any grudges against players withdrawing from friendlies, especially when they are compelled to do that, but we want to be told in time so that we can make replacements”, Keshi declared on Sunday morning.
All other players invited for the encounter have since confirmed their early arrival, even as the team jet out Sunday night via Delta Airlines for the game that comes up on Wednesday night in Florida, USA.
NFF president Aminu Maigari, is expected to lead the delegation for the friendly
Chima came off the bench as a 46th minute substitute to
score the match winner in the 59th minute against Honefoss and ensure Molde
keep the championship they first won last season.
With a game to go, Molde are on 59 points, while the
closest rivals stromgodset, who lost to Sandnes 2-1, are on 55 points. John
Chibuike's Rosenborg are third with 52 points after they lost at home 1-0 to
Fredrikstad.
The elated Chima told MTNFootball.com described his goal
as the most important of his season.
"It was a tough game, but we put in our best and we
eventually won. I am very happy with my contribution and goal. I can say it is
the most important goal of the season for me," Chima told MTNFootball.com
The Nigerian youngster has now scored seven goals in the
league and two in the UEFA Europa League.
Chima said he is confident his club will bounce back and
advance to the next stage of Europa League after
they lost 2-1 at
home to Steaus Bucarest on Thursday.
Chima, who scored a consolation goal for Molde in the
game, told MTNFootball.com Molde could
secure maximum points from the last two games.
"We played a very good side, and we played well but
we lost. We just have to focus on the next games. I am glad that I scored, but
we still lost which make me sad,” he said.
“We are at the bottom in the group, but I am optimistic
we will go through if we win the next 2 games, all we need is to be
focused."
Chima has scored twice in three games in the Europa
League this term.
Molde will host København FC on November 22 and will then
be away to Stuttgart in Germany on December 6.
Nigeria
lost the chance to salvage some lost pride after they lost third place at the
African Women’s championship to Cameroon on Sunday
The sorry Falcons fell 1-0 to a 31st minute strike by
Gaelle Enganamouit to finish their worst-ever AWC in fourth place.
The Lionesses outplayed six-time champions Nigeria to
avenge a 2-1 defeat in the group stage of the tournament.
Cameroon also eliminated Nigeria from the 2012 London
Olympics qualifiers.
The Falcons are due back in the country on Sunday with
the future of coach Kadiri Ikhana very uncertain.
The final of the 2012 AWC was between hosts Equatorial
Guinea and Bayana Bayana of South Africa in which Equatorial Guinea won.
Red-hot Ahmed Musa has told Eagles coach Stephen Keshi he
can lead Eagles attack at next year’s AFCON in South Africa.
He said his goals in Russia could also be attributed to
the fact that he has fully settled down at the army team after his big-money
switch from modest Dutch club VVV Venlo.
"I am also scoring goals because I have adjusted to
the league in Russia and now know what is expected of me,” he disclosed.
Last month against Liberia in Calabar, the former Kano
Pillars star was played mainly as a left winger and scored a goal.
He scored a total of two goals in the qualifiers for the
2013 Africa Cup of Nations, a goal behind the team’s top scorer Ikechukwu Uche.
Three seasons ago, Musa showed he knows his way
to goal when he scored a record-breaking 18 goals for Kano Pillars playing
mostly as a right winger.
Nigeria stars Ahmed Musa and Brown Ideye scored a brace each to help their clubs record away wins in Russia and Ukraine, respectively.
Musa opened scoring for CSKA Moscow in the 35th minute and then he put his side 2-1 up in the 51st minute to complete his double in a 3-1 away win at Kuban Krasnodar.
With this win, CSKA consolidated their leadership of the Russian Premier League.
They have 36 points from 15 matches, four points clear of closest rivals Anzhi Machatschkala.
Speaking with MTNFootball.com after the match, former VVV Venlo forward said he was elated to have scored the goals to keep his team top of the standings.
"I am very happy to have scored two goals. We really needed to win because we want to stay top. I will continue to give best to score as many goals as I can," Musa told MTNFootball.com
Musa has now scored a total of seven league goals.
In Ukraine, Brown Ideye returned to the Dynamo Kiev starting line-up Saturday with a bang.
Ideye was his team's hero when his brace helped them secure an emphatic 5-0 away win over hosts Metalurh Zaporizlya.
Dynamo moved to second spot on the table with 31 points from 15 matches, but are 11 points adrift of runaway leaders Shakhtar Donetsk.
Ideye scored his first goal in the 64th minute to give his team a 3-0 lead after receiving a pass from 63rd minute substitute Lukman Haruna.
The former Sochaux front man completed his brace 10 minutes later.
Compatriot Haruna set up another substitute Yarmoberk in the 87th minute for the fifth goal.
In Turkey, it was Kalu Uche's 90th minute penalty that Kasimpasa needed to secure a 1-1 draw at home to table toppers Antalyaspor.
Kasimpasa are fourth on the table on 17 points from 11 matches.
With this win, CSKA consolidated their leadership of the Russian Premier League.
They have 36 points from 15 matches, four points clear of closest rivals Anzhi Machatschkala.
Speaking with MTNFootball.com after the match, former VVV Venlo forward said he was elated to have scored the goals to keep his team top of the standings.
"I am very happy to have scored two goals. We really needed to win because we want to stay top. I will continue to give best to score as many goals as I can," Musa told MTNFootball.com
Musa has now scored a total of seven league goals.
In Ukraine, Brown Ideye returned to the Dynamo Kiev starting line-up Saturday with a bang.
Ideye was his team's hero when his brace helped them secure an emphatic 5-0 away win over hosts Metalurh Zaporizlya.
Dynamo moved to second spot on the table with 31 points from 15 matches, but are 11 points adrift of runaway leaders Shakhtar Donetsk.
Ideye scored his first goal in the 64th minute to give his team a 3-0 lead after receiving a pass from 63rd minute substitute Lukman Haruna.
The former Sochaux front man completed his brace 10 minutes later.
Compatriot Haruna set up another substitute Yarmoberk in the 87th minute for the fifth goal.
In Turkey, it was Kalu Uche's 90th minute penalty that Kasimpasa needed to secure a 1-1 draw at home to table toppers Antalyaspor.
Kasimpasa are fourth on the table on 17 points from 11 matches.
The Super Eagles defeated non-league side Water FC of Abuja 3-1 in a test game on Saturday.
Both teams first clashed on October 5 in the run-up to a 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against Liberia and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Eagles forward Sunday Mba served notice of what to happen on Saturday when he blasted wide after being set up by Ejike Uzoenyi after just the second minute.
In the sixth minute, Azubuike Egwuekwe strayed forward to head home an Uzoenyi corner but a Water FC player blocked it with his hands.
The referee rightly pointed to the spot and Mba stepped forward to send the keeper the wrong way.
The Eagles would have been two more goals up but Gambo Mohammed blasted wide in the 10 minute, before hitting the cross-bar with a textbook header in the 20th minute.
Gambo finally registered his name on the score board when he out jumped the Water FC defence to nod home a Solomon Kwambe cross.
The amateur side thereafter woke up and subjected the Eagles defence to sporadic raids. Agim save in the 42nd minute by palming the ball for a corner kick. The resultant corner kick was rammed home in the 43rd minute by Okey Aboyin, who was also on target when both sides met in October.
The second half was barely five minutes when onrushing Mba was felled in the vital area and referee Aniete promptly pointed to the spot and Mba stepped forward to dispatch his second goal of the day.
The game which was watched by NFF technical director Emmanuel Ikpeme went on a ding dong affair till a dramatic moment in the 85th minute when a Water FC attacker was felled in the Eagles vital area.
A penalty was awarded but blasted wide by Ifeanyi Adibe to ensure a respectable scoreline for the national side who are on their way for a friendly against Venezuela Sunday night.
Meanwhile, nine players from the NPL have made the final cut for the Venezuela game.
The list was announced lunch time Saturday by assistant coach Daniel’Amokachi.
Leading the pack is home-based skipper, Chigozie Agbim, who recently moved from Warri Wolves to Rangers. Others are Sunshine Stars skipper Godfrey Oboabona, left back Benjamin Francis, who has been in impressive form at the national team’s camp.
Also picked are Warri Wolves centre back Azubuike Egwuekwe, Solomon Kwambe, Umar Zango Umar, Henry Uche, Sunday Mba of Warri Wolves and Ejike Uzoenyi.
Follow this page every Monday morning for Football Made in Naija.
Eagles forward Sunday Mba served notice of what to happen on Saturday when he blasted wide after being set up by Ejike Uzoenyi after just the second minute.
In the sixth minute, Azubuike Egwuekwe strayed forward to head home an Uzoenyi corner but a Water FC player blocked it with his hands.
The referee rightly pointed to the spot and Mba stepped forward to send the keeper the wrong way.
The Eagles would have been two more goals up but Gambo Mohammed blasted wide in the 10 minute, before hitting the cross-bar with a textbook header in the 20th minute.
Gambo finally registered his name on the score board when he out jumped the Water FC defence to nod home a Solomon Kwambe cross.
The amateur side thereafter woke up and subjected the Eagles defence to sporadic raids. Agim save in the 42nd minute by palming the ball for a corner kick. The resultant corner kick was rammed home in the 43rd minute by Okey Aboyin, who was also on target when both sides met in October.
The second half was barely five minutes when onrushing Mba was felled in the vital area and referee Aniete promptly pointed to the spot and Mba stepped forward to dispatch his second goal of the day.
The game which was watched by NFF technical director Emmanuel Ikpeme went on a ding dong affair till a dramatic moment in the 85th minute when a Water FC attacker was felled in the Eagles vital area.
A penalty was awarded but blasted wide by Ifeanyi Adibe to ensure a respectable scoreline for the national side who are on their way for a friendly against Venezuela Sunday night.
Meanwhile, nine players from the NPL have made the final cut for the Venezuela game.
The list was announced lunch time Saturday by assistant coach Daniel’Amokachi.
Leading the pack is home-based skipper, Chigozie Agbim, who recently moved from Warri Wolves to Rangers. Others are Sunshine Stars skipper Godfrey Oboabona, left back Benjamin Francis, who has been in impressive form at the national team’s camp.
Also picked are Warri Wolves centre back Azubuike Egwuekwe, Solomon Kwambe, Umar Zango Umar, Henry Uche, Sunday Mba of Warri Wolves and Ejike Uzoenyi.
Follow this page every Monday morning for Football Made in Naija.
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