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Shakiru Lawal sees red as 3SC fire blanks again Posted on Sunday ,Dec. 6th 2009
Shooting Stars continued their slump in form after being held to a goalless stalemate by Rangers International of Enugu at the Liberty Stadium last Saturday.
It was another fruitless Glo Premier League outing for the Oluyole Warriors as they fired blanks for the second week running following a similar result against Ocean Boys at the same venue a week earlier.
The Ibadan Warlords suffered a double blow in the second minute of added time when skipper Shakiru Lawal was sent off for a second book-able offence.
This time, 3SC were even lucky to escape with a draw when referee Benjamin Nneji ignored appeals for a glaring penalty after Rangers substitute Brendan Ogbu had been upended by Lekan Gabriel inside the 3SC box in the 85th minute.
Reaction from the visitors’ bench was spontaneous. Rangers players and officials could hardly believe the ref could be so ‘biased.’ As Rangers protested, some unruly fans began throwing water bottles in the direction of the visitors’ bench as tempers flared up.
Rangers’ Technical head Alphonsus Dike expressed disappointment at what he termed ‘the Nigerian factor,’ but in the end he accepted the 0-0 result as a ‘fair’ outcome of the day’s proceedings..
“The referee is only human. Everyone could see that it was a penalty, but we have to give him the benefit of the doubt,” he told www.shootingstarssc.com after the match.
Minutes after the ‘penalty’ incident, referee Nneji’s competence was again put to question when he inadvertently brandished a red card at Rangers central defender Monday Osagie for time-wasting. Although he quickly corrected himself, his ineptitude was not lost on a majority of the spectators.
Both teams failed to produce the sparks expected, and as the game wore on, only few scoring chances were created in a dull first half. The attendance was somewhat disappointing as well, considering the high-profile nature and long-standing rivalry between both sides.
The second stanza appeared worse, as it was marred by a series of bust ups between rival players while the referee struggled to put his foot down. As the clock ticked away, anxiety and frustration was written all over the faces of Shooting supporters as they pondered the grave implication of another home draw.
3SC striker Meshack Chukwubuikem was presented with the best chance of the evening when he broke free from the right after 79 minutes, but he shot straight at the goalkeeper from six yards out.
In summary, the home team lacked assertion in their approach to the game, and near chances and near misses characterized their play. 3SC’s best scoring opportunity of the first half fell on Hakeem Adebisi, but the leading scorer saw his bicycle kick tipped over the bar by impressive Rangers keeper Godwin Ayalogu.
By Mark Ogagan at the Liberty Stadium
MATCH STATS
Globacom Premier League match
Saturday, 5th December, 2009…Liberty Stadium, Ibadan
SHOOTING STARS 0
RANGERS INT’L 0
Referee: Benjamin Nneji (CRS)
Cautions: Iyangbe 38’ Chukwubuikem 55’ Osagie 88’ Mende 90+2
Sent off: S Lawal 90+2
Shooting: Laide Okanlawon – Sylvanus Ebiaku, Lekan Gabriel, Yomi Adigun, Daniel Mende – Shakiru Lawal (Capt), Taiwo Hassan, Adeyemi Adeyeye (Tope Orelope 56’ ), Shola Abolade (Timothy Idogbe 58’ ) – Meshack Chukwubuikem, Hakeem Adebisi (Dolapo Omotayo 80’ ).
Coach: Philip Boamah
Rangers: Godwin Ayalogu – Henry Obiekwu, Monday Osagie, Oko Kenechukwu, Sunday Johnson – Austin Iyangbe (Capt), Ejike Uzoenyi (Ambrose Onyema 87’ ), Fred Okwasa (Brendan Ogbu 59’ ), Damien Udeh – Elias Nonso (Kola Abegunde 38’ ), Uwadiegwu Ugwu
Coach: Alphonsus Dike
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