|
With three matches to go until the end of the season, only one thing is settled on the Nigeria Professional League table and that is the relegation of Remo Stars. Elsewhere, both at the top and at bottom of the log, anything remains possible. This includes MFM FC potentially making a late surge to rain on leaders Plateau United's parade. Meanwhile, MFM's premier striker Stephen Odey has some late worries of his own, as we take a look at five observations from last weekend's action. Plateau United get ABS braking Opening up a six-point lead over MFM FC should have been the catalyst that took Plateau United all the way home to the title. After some sterling away results against tough opposition for Plateau, ABS were not expected to present too much trouble for the champions-in-waiting. Samuel Oyedeji was the hero of the day though, scoring twice to help ABS claim a 2-0 win, snap United's five-game unbeaten streak, and put the brakes on their title ambitions. With MFM FC winning 1-0 at home to Gombe United, the gap at the top has been shaved to three points, with Plateau facing some potential banana peels in their final three games. They face Rivers United, Wikki Tourists, and Rangers in quick succession. Okputu hat-trick means trouble for Odey League-leading scorer Stephen Odey has only netted twice in the second half of the season. The MFM striker, who looked on course to eclipse Mfon Udoh's 23-goal scoring record earlier in the campaign, is now on an extended dry patch. This has allowed other forwards to chip away at his previously iron-clad lead. One of those is Lobi Stars' Anthony Okputu, who plundered his third hat-trick of the season to take his tally to 17 goals, just one behind Odey, as Lobi edged El Kanemi Warriors 3-2. With his consistency, and Odey's lack of goals, the smart money might just be on the Lobi man to upstage Odey for the top scorer's prize.  Continental battle goes down to the wire Plateau United and MFM FC have all but sealed their places in the CAF Champions League, leaving the battle for the third continental spot - for the CAF Confederation Cup - to Akwa United and Enyimba. That was until FC Ifeanyi Ubah decided to gatecrash the party with a 1-0 win over Akwa United. That win took the Anambra club to 53 points, one behind Akwa and Enyimba, who also lost this weekend, 2-1 at Rivers United. With three games left, none of these sides can afford to slip up, especially not at home, and one away result could be enough to decide who makes it to the continent between these three. Quicksilver has Rangers near safety Defending champions Rangers took their run of unbeaten games to four under coach Sylvanus 'Quicksilver' Okpala, with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Katsina United. The former international has won three and drawn one of those four games, claiming 10 of 12 points available. That has proven enough to move Rangers up to 10th on the log, which is almost guaranteed to secure their status in the top flight if they continue on this trajectory. It would also preserve their record as the only club never to have been relegated in Nigerian league football, a record Okpala, who played for the great Rangers side of old, would be proud to maintain. Weekend of missing stars Nigeria's 2018 CHAN qualifier against Benin Republic on Saturday meant that many of the league's top players were unavailable to help their clubs. Key absentees included the star MFM duo of Stephen Odey and Sikiru Olatunbosun, Akwa United's Alhassan Ibrahim, last season's top scorer Godwin Obaje, who now plays for FC Ifeanyi Ubah, Rangers' Osas Okoro, and Nasarawa United's Thomas Zenke. Kano Pillars' Rabiu Ali scored for the home-based Super Eagles in their 2-0 win over Benin Republic, but as the game was played in his hometown, he turned out a day later for his club and scored again in a 2-0 win over Abia Warriors.
|
