In what was a good afternoon for Confluence Queens, that saw them win 1-0 against Adamawa Queens in the match day two of the 2015/16 Nigeria Women Premier League on Saturday, one woman stood out from the rest – Ijeoma Emenike. The lanky striker bagged the solitary goal before the interval for the Yahaya Bello […]
via EMENIKE ELATED WITH FIRST CONFLUENCE QUEENS GOAL — newfanzoneblog
Women’s Federation Cup defending Champions, Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt progressed to the quarter finals of the competition defeating COD Ladies of Lagos, 4-1 in the round of 16 encounter.
Mercy Amanze opened scoring on the 13th minute and three minutes later, Ayila Loveth slotted in the second goal.
And on the 40th minute, Ijeoma Emenike headed in a cross from Mabel Effiom to extend the lead to 3-0 before half time.
However, Monday Gift gave the Ann Chiejine led team a goal on the 47th minute but the highly spirited Angels kept up the pressure on their opponents as Ijeoma completed her brace on the 65th minute to seal the deserved victory for the Edwin Okon tutored side.
The last time both teams met at this stage, it ended 6-1 in favour of Rivers Angels and Coach Edwin Okon believes his opponents have improved
“I thank God for the victory, FA cup is not a thing that you joke over and I have seen improvements in the team because we played them last year and there’s improvement this year, last year it was six, today is four so I want to say there’s improvement” Okon stated.
“We are the defending champions you can as well see the way the team plays, we’ll try as much as we can, some of our players are in the U-20 that are supposed to beef up the team but all the same we can’t stop the national assignment; we just make do with what we have to get to the finals, our target is just the cup because we’re the defending champions”
“We want to win it for the sixth time, we’ve won it five good times, I think if we win this, it will be the sixth time” He added.
Mercy Amanze who opened scoring for the team equally gave her thoughts after the game.
“Am so so happy for the victory, I have been putting in some extra training because of this competition, I always love playing in the Federations cup since I started my football career game” Said Amanze.
“ I am happy and I love the way my team played, we played in unity and God granted us victory today” she added.
COD Ladies coach and former captain of the Senior women’s National team, the Super Falcons, Ann Chiejine said her team faced a more experienced opponent.
“The graph is rising, I paraded young lads, young girls, school girls, two of them are in school, you cannot compare them with this people, but we’ll get there, give them two, three more years this people would have been old, we’ll take over” Ann said.
“It’s a gradual process, we have a structure, COD is a structured team, we have a structure, we have focus and we have our philosophy, so with time we’ll get to all this ones, we’re not keen about the goals, we want to see how our players can play together so give us one or two more years, but right now, we have come, we have seen and we’ll go back to our drawing boards” she added.
And in other centers:
Ibom Angels 0-0 Confluence Queens (AP 3-5)
Moje Queens 1-4 Edo Queens
Bayelsa Queens 5-1 Beautiful Tour
Osun Babes 3-1 Fortress Ladies
Rising Queens 0-3 FC Robo
Delta Queens 0-3 Nasarawa Amazons (W/0)
Alberto Queens 0-4 Sunshine Queens
An inspired Mabel Effiom performance handed Rivers Angels a 4-0 win against new comers, Capital City Doves of Abuja in a Nigeria Women Premier League Week 1 rescheduled game at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt.
Rivers Angels dominated the midfield and attacked early in the game with the inspired Effiom troubling the visitors with her darting runs and crosses from the left flank.
The former Ibom Angels full back, was playing in place of Ngozi Ebere who is on duty with the national team and made sure Ebere’s absence was not felt in the game.
The Port Harcourt based side opened scores on 19 minutes when newly-signed striker from Finland, Ijeoma Obi rammed home a fantastic bicycle kick which left Oluwaseun Sanusi who was in goal for Doves with no chance at all.
Two minutes later, the double champions increased the tally and this time around it was last season NWPL highest goal scorer, Amarachi Ojinma opening her account for the season.
The former Pelican stars forward got a just reward for her efforts after her shot was previously blocked by Sanusi taking advantage of a defensive error by the Abuja side to poke home.
Two soon became three in the 32nd minute as the hosts compounded their visitors’ woes. A perfectly weighed cross from Mercy Amanze found centre back Ihuoma Onyebuchi who teed up Ijeoma Obi to bury it past Sanusi.
Capital City Doves, lacking a cutting edge, outmuscled in the midfield and could not find their way through the Rivers Angels defense on countless occasions.
With ten minutes into the second half, the referee disallowed a goal scored by Grace Henry who pounced on a spilled ball from Sanusi. She was adjudged to be in an offside position.
The home side however continued the game without any protest but so much attention was on the coach of Capital City Doves, Ngozi Ezeh who on three different intervals called on her players to the sidelines after they conceded a goal from Rivers Angels side.
In the 75th minute however, Rivers Angels got icing on their well baked cake with a free kick from 25 yards from Ulunma Jerome who connected the newly introduced Ijeoma Emenike. Emenike did brilliantly to find a relentless Mercy Amanze who headed the ball into the net.
It wrapped up an efficient yet comfortable display for the Champions who were yet to kick a ball this term after they walked over Pelicans Stars in Calabar last weekend.
Assistant coach of Rivers Angels, Whyte Ogbonda expressed his delight after the match but admitted they were missing their key players who are on national duty.
“We are missing the players in the national camp if they were here we would have scored up to 10 goals. The standard of the game would have been higher than this but am happy because what we were looking for is just 3 points and at the end of the day they were able to get 3points and 4 goals so am happy they played to instruction and there is room for improvement, said Ogbonda.
Coach of Capital City Dove, Ngozi Ezeh admitted she was not disappointed with the result.
The girls tried their best. We just got into the league and we were not supposed to be in the league but I still believe these girls will still do wonders. I am not disappointed for what my girls played its not easy to face the champions, remember they are the champions of the league, Ezeh said.
“I have to inject new players and encourage the little ones that can meet up the league when next they come for the return leg in Abuja you will hear a different result, Ezeh concluded.
Highest goal scorer of NWPL 2013/2014 season, Amarachi Ojinma who was at Pelican Stars last season, believes she can replicate her scoring form for the Women League champions.
“By the special grace of God I believe I can do it. According to the league board, it is not a straight league but an abridged one. If I can’t get up to what I got(17) with Pelican Stars last season , I hope to get half of the goals I got last season, she said.
Rivers Angels next play Nasarawa Amazons On Saturday, May 16 at the Liberation Stadium Port Harcourt.
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