The Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL25 continued yesterday after experiencing the opening fixture a week before when league Champions Rangers International played a goalless draw against league-returning El-Kameni Warriors.
Eight games went down yesterday in eight different NPFL25 centres with one more fixture this evening when Lobi Stars lock horns with 2021 Champions Akwa United at the Lafia Township Stadium. After every match week, I will give you five things I noticed during the game week.
Here we go for match week one.
WELCOME TO THE BIG BOYS LEAGUE
For three seasons in a row, we have had a club competing in the NPFL for the first time with Ikorodu City following in the footsteps of Doma United (2022/2023) and Sporting Lagos (2023/2024) respectively but unlike Doma United who got a one-one draw in their first ever game against Sunshine Stars and Sporting Lagos who defeated Gombe United in theirs. Ikorodu City faced the daunting task of trying to get something away from home against four-time winners Kano Pillars.
Kano Pillars melted out a WELCOME TO THE NPFL bashing to the Oga Boys with a comprehensive victory three-nil victory in Katsina and the Oga Boys will need to learn from this and know the battle ahead is not for the weak as Sporting Lagos found in their only season and Doma United in their second season.
FAMILIAR TERRAIN FOR REMO STARS, NIGER TORNADOES AND ENYIMBA
With Remo Stars, Niger Tornadoes, and Enyimba getting away wins against Abia Warriors, Kwara United, and Heartland respectively, the NFPL has witnessed eleven away league wins in the first game week of the season in the last five seasons (current season included) with the 2022/2023 season accounting for the most (5) and the 2023/2024 season having the least (0).
These three clubs have accounted for six of the eleven away wins with two wins each. Enyimba and Niger Tornadoes’ other wins were against Nasarawa United and Wikki Tourist in the 2022/2023 season while Remo Stars got theirs in Lagos when they beat now defunct MFM in the 2021/2022 season.
Meanwhile, Enyimba and Remo Stars hope this away win will be helpful later in the season as they will try to wrestle the title away from Rangers International. In contrast, Niger Tornadoes will hope this help in a fight to try to avoid the drop.
IF EVER THERE IS AN NPFL HALL OF FAME, SHOULD HE BE THE FIRST NAME ON THE LIST?
“House Mormont remembers. The North remembers. We know no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark”, this is a quote from the popular TV Series Game of Thrones when Lyanna Mormont references Jon Snow as the King in the North.
Let me make a few adjustments to that quote, you will have something like “NPFL remembers, The North remembers. We know no king but the King in the North, whose name is Rabiu Ali” and believe me, what you just read will not raise an eyebrow because if opinion could pass as fact, then there you have it.
Rabiu Ali knicks the free kick past the goalkeeper at the near post.
He continues his record of scoring in every NPFL season he has played.
Legend!!!!!#NPFL25 pic.twitter.com/UDknxuZbYs
— NPFL Tori Podcast (@NpflTori) September 8, 2024
Rabiu Ali’s two goals for Kano Pillars’s victory over Ikorodu City means the 43-year-old has scored for the 19th consecutive season in the NPFL/NNL and coupled with four league titles in the top-flight, you have a living legend still mixing it boys who once watched him on TV and looked up to him. If the league organizers ever think of having an NPFL Hall of Fame, Rabiu Ali’s exploits save them the headache of thinking who is worthy of their first picks.
NEW NPFL25 SEASON SAME OLD BENDEL INSURANCE AND MONDAY ODIGIE.
If there was a coach that divided opinion in the league last season it was Bendel Insurance coach Monday Odigie with his antics in answering questions from the media after games. For some, it is a good advertisement for the league as any publicity is good publicity while others think it is not a show of good sportsmanship.
Bendel Insurance began their new campaign with a goalless draw at home against Rivers United, despite the visitors having a man sent off after 51 minutes of action. In his post-match interview, a journalist asked if he was disappointed his team did not capitalize on the man advantage, Odigie went on to wrap his answer by questioning why he asked such a question.
“Football is a tactical game…We knocked on the door after the one man advantage but couldn’t get it”
– Coach Monday Odigie on the draw at home against Rivers United.#54footballxNPFL25 #NPFL25 pic.twitter.com/VELEjbkDhp
— Official54fx (@54footballx) September 8, 2024
The team’s failure to score also means “maybe” nothing has changed at the club with their goalscoring problem. Bendel Insurance finished ninth last season but only relegated clubs Gombe United (21 goals scored) and Doma United (26 goals scored) scored less than the Thirty-Two goals the Benin Arsenal scored.
NPFL25: OWERRI LOSS, AKURE’S GAIN.
Heartland made a plea to play in the NPFL25 this season after relegating at the end of last season. The Naze Millionaires wouldn’t have turned to such a scenario only if they had not let internal politicking cut short Kennedy Boboye’s rescue mission last season but who cares is the talk around Sunshine Stars faithful?
When Kennedy Boboye took charge of Sunshine Stars last season, they were in a relegation battle, However, the two-time league winner turned around their fortunes with a respectable 10th-place finish and with a convincing three-nil victory over Bayelsa United in their first league game of the season, Sunshine Stars will hope Boboye can replicate his success with both Plateau United and Akwa United.