Day 2 Round up of action at the Flying officers cup as Robo, Osun, Confluence Queens cruise

Defending Champions, Bayelsa Queens suffered a 1-0 defeat in the hands of rivals FC Robo Queens in what was the repeat of the 2021 AITEO Cup final. 

The game got off to a lively start with FC Robo Queens dominating the early proceedings with the defending champions unable to penetrate the 'Lagos Landladies' defence in the opening 10 minutes.

Neither side produced any chances of note after 15 minutes of play as Bayelsa Queens look happy to invite FC Robo Queens into their own half. 

FC Robo Queens had the first real chance of the game in the 16th minute when Ajakaye raced away on the counter before squaring the ball towards Ijamilusi in the box, but it didn't quite had any effect. 

Yahaya Marylene finally scored the solitary goal of the game and first of the 2021 Flying Officers Cup in the 18th minute as she beat helpless Monle Omini in goal for Bayelsa Queens after receiving a cross from Esther Onyenezide.

Osun Babes had to come from behind in the second game of the day to secure a 2-1 win over Prince Kazeem Eletu Queens FC.

Mega Cynthia had given Prince Kazeem Eletu Queens the lead in the 42nd minute before Ebere Oleka equalised for the Omoluabi Queens in the 52nd minute when she found a free space upfront and rounded off Adesoji Esther in goal for Prince Kazeem Eletu Queens.

Eight minutes from full time, Osun Babes took the lead for the first time in the game as Suliat Ajibade took advantage of a loose ball from Prince Kazeem Eletu Queens' defence and made it count.

The final game of the day between Confluence Queens and SGH Sports Academy ended 4-0 in favour of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership side.

Mercy Omokwe scored the fastest goal of this year's tournament immediately after kick off to give Confluence Queens the lead.

Three more goals from Arit Usang, Godson Orjiugo and Suliat Hassan handed Confluence Queens the biggest victory thus far at the 2021 Flying Officers Cup.

Actions will continue tomorrow, as Sunshine Queens will play against WACO Ladies in the first game of the day by 8am, two time finalists, Nasarawa Amazons will tackle Edo Queens by 10:30am in what seem like a repeat of the 2019 Flying Officers Cup final. 

Lakeside Queens will be up against Dannaz Ladies by 1pm, and by 3pm, Naija Ratels will hope to do better when they play against Royal Queens in their second game of the competition.

FASHION, MUSIC AT ITS BEST AT HEINEKEN DFA SHOWCASE 2021

It was one of the best fashion parades ever witnessed at this year’s Heineken Design Fashion Africa (DFA) Showcase 2021 which took place at the Eko Convention Centre of Eko Hotel, Lagos.

 

Top designers in the country and other parts of Africa came together to showcase different creative African fashion, towing the line of this year’s theme ‘Creative Cultures’.

 

Yomi Casual, Zikora, Jurio Lutti, Niposkin, Skentele by Etti, Studio Trybe, Meklit.me, Lulla Studio, Femi Toys, among others all showcased different fashion wears both for men and women.

 

The Theme, ‘Creative Cultures’ responds to the growing need to blend the African Fashion and creative industries with global brands and partnerships, such as Heineken amongst others.

 

Fashion lovers were thrilled by the display of style on the runway, music lovers also have a great time with performances from amazing Nigerian artistes live at the event such as Patoranking, Aramide,  Crayon, Tclassic, Ric Hassani, Ycee, Dapo Turbuna, Reekado Banks and others.

 

Valerie Ike was tasked with the honour of receiving the guests on the Black Carpet while the duo of Eso Dike and Idia Aisen were seen entertaining the guests as the event host.

 

Speaking at the event, one of the guests, Amarachi Obiakor, said she was wowed by what she witnessed on the day. The Tai Solarin University of Education student said some of the fashions displayed were top notch and she already looked forward to getting one of them for herself.

 

The sponsor of the Fashion Show, Heineken, a product from Nigerian Breweries PLC was available for the guests to cool their thirst as the company revealed their passion for sponsoring fashion shows for years.

 

Business Development Manager (Low and No) of the Heineken Company, Sampson Oloche, who was present at the show said they believe the DFA is definitely a big property.

 

Speaking at the event, Oloche said, “We have been supporting fashion for 11 years,” he said. “I am happy the event was a success as designers were given the opportunity to showcase their creativity.

 

“At Heineken, we feel fashion is a big property in our hands and with the right investment, it can become another money-making industry in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

 

Also present at the event was the Brand Support Manager – Heineken of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, Aboyowa Ikpobe, who also applauded the organiser for a wonderful job.

 

DFA towards getting to the final showpiece organized a reality show with over 2000 video entries received from different parts of Africa with designers showing off their pieces.

 

With judges like Godson Ukaegbu, Adebayo Oke-Lawal, Akin Faminu, Oluwatosin Ogundadegbe, Michael Ugwu and Ituen Basi, the entries were reduced to 10 with the lucky 10 camped at a location in Lagos for 30 days where the eventual winner, Zikoranachukwuebuka Ikebuaku of Zikora, emerged.

 

The winner received ten thousand dollars (10,000USD) to create their designed garment and showcase it within the Design Fashion Africa weekend in October.

 

This year’s edition of DFA was in collaboration with Jakaranda Productions and SpiceTV.

 

ABOUT DFA

DFA is a platform that fosters the coming together of fashion enthusiasts, both experienced and upcoming in a bid to commercialize their art.

 

DFA’s campaign consists of DFA Focus- a series of one-minute episodes spotlighting up and coming creatives, The Culture Brunch- the lifestyle campaign, hosting our creative communities to affect culture and create unforgettable moments, Beyond Home is a series of interviews aiming to connect African creatives in the diaspora with the state of Africa’s, My Fashion Line, the reality TV show crafted to discover the next best talent in the fashion industry, Wearable Art Challenge- a competition aimed at supporting artists that explore the crossover of Fashion and Art.

Flying Officers Cup 21: Asantewaa Wins Opening Day Match WOTM

Ghana Police Ladies FC goalkeeper, Nana Asantewaa put up a superb performance against Naija Ratels FC to earn herself the player of the match. 

The Ghanaian goalie rescued her side from conceding goals against Naija Ratels FC in the opening game of the 2021 Flying Officers Cup. 

Asantewaa first showed class when she acrobatically denied Zipere Agama the chance of scoring the first goal in the first ten minutes of play.

In the 40th minute, Nana Asantewaa also made another acrobatic save to deny Oladeji Bunmi, who positioned herself at a very good position to shoot towards goal. 

In the second half, Asantewaa continued from where she stopped as she put up another brilliant save in the 67th minute from Adugbe Olamide.

In her reaction, an excited Nana Asantewaa expressed her happiness and promised to do more for her team to go further in the competition. 

"I am very excited over this and am glad we could get something out of this game. 

"It isn't just about me, but about the whole team. We have worked so hard and we need to keep working harder and improve as a team here.

"Everybody in the team have been very supportive and that's the kind of spirit that exist amongst us. We look forward to our next game and hope it's going to be favourable." She concluded. 

Such a fantastic display from Nana Asantewaa coupled with a solid defense force could go a long way in propelling the Ghanaian side to the summit of the 2021 Flying Officers Cup as they look forward to their next game against Honey Badgers FC on Wednesday, October 13.

Flying Officers Cup 2021: It's Action-Packed Monday As FC Robo Takes On Bayelsa Queens, Honey Badgers Tackle Royal Quuens

Monday promises to be an action-packed day at the ongoing Flying Officers Cup 2021, with Bayelsa Queens, FC Robo Queens, Confluence Queens and Honey Badgers all in action.  

Royal Queens and Honey Badgers will kick-off matches on Monday, while the biggest match of the day would be the match between defending Champions Bayelsa Queens and FC Robo Queens by 10:30 pm. 

Osun Babes FC and Prince Kazeem Eletu Queens will battle themselves at exactly 1 pm on Monday, while the last game at 3 pm would be between SGH Academy and Confluence Queens.

On an opening day, Naija Ratels played a goalless draw against Ghana Police Ladies FC, in a game where a lot of goalscoring chances were lost.  

Monday fixtures: 

Royal Queens Vs Honey Badgers (8 am)

Bayelsa Queens Vs FC Robo Queens (10:30 am)

Osun Babes Vs Prince Kazeem Eletu (1 pm)

SGH Academy FC Vs Confluence Queens (3 pm).

Flying Officers Cup 2021: Fiercely Contested Opener Ends In A Goalless Draw

Naija Ratels started their 2021 Flying Officers Cup campaign with a goalless draw against Ghana Police Ladies at the Area 10 Sports Complex on Sunday evening.  

The opening match of the biggest Women Football Pre-season Championship started in a spectacular form, with Naija Ratels dominating from the beginning and had some great scoring chances, but failed to make good use of it. 

Coach Bankole Olowookeere of Naija Ratels FC started the game with Ohia Doris in goal alongside, Oladeji Bunmi, Adesina Itunuoluwa, Oyinlola Olamide, Ali Paulina, Anani Oluwaseun, Emmanuel Blessing, Adugbe Olamide, Zipeere Agama, Boigyande Loveth, and Folorunsho Aminat. 

Coach Frank Oswald gave starting shirts to Nana Asantewaa, Susana Faakyewaa, Ivy Kolli, Vida Opoku, Cynthia Adjei, Vinoria Kuzagbe, Victoria Teye Williams, Mary Berko, Jane Ayieyam, Deborah Afriyie, and Juanita Aguadze.

In the first ten minutes of the game, Ghana Police Ladies goalie, Nana Ama Asantewaa made an acrobatic save to prevent Agama Zipere from scoring the first goal of the game.

Naija Ratels FC missed three good chances in the first 19 minutes of the game, Agama and Adugbe being the biggest culprit. 

In the 24th minute, Olamide Adugbe superbly worked the ball down the right, going past Jane Ayieyam, but her shot was too weak for Nana Ama Asantewaa.

Five minutes from half time, Ghana Police Ladies goalie, Nana Ama Asantewaa made another good save from Oladeji Bunmi's effort.

Juanita Aguadze in the 44th minute thought she had beaten Ohia Doris in goal for Naija Ratels but the latter did well to block her effort.

Zipere Agama after missing some chances in the first half continued from where she stopped as she ballooned the ball from a very tight angle in the 49th minute before being replaced by Aminat Bello four minutes later.

Ghana Police Ladies FC came out in the second half to upset the host but Doris Ohia briliantly saved  Naija Ratels from conceding.

There was a scary moment for the host in the 69th minute as Ghana Police Ladies FC saw their effort hitting the cross bar.

Juanita Aguadze in the 73rd minute tried to score for Ghana Police Ladies  but her effort could not find the back of the net.

Naija Ratels FC will face Royal Queens FC of Warri in their next game on tuesday while Ghana Police Ladies FC square up with Honey Badgers FC on October 13.

Games will continue on monday, with Royal Queens battling Honey Badgers in the first match of the day by 8:am, Bayelsa Queens and FC Robo will play by 10:30am, Osun Babes and Prince Kazeem Eletu Queens will come up against each other by 1pm and finally SGH Academy FC and Confluence Queens will play the last game of the day by 3pm.

Flying Officers Cup 2021: SGH Sports Academy, Kaduna Queens In, Rivers Angels, Oasis Out As Tournament Kick-Off.

Following the withdrawal of NWFL Premiership Champions, Rivers Angels from participating at the 2021 edition of the Flying Officers Cup, Lagos Based side SGH Academy, who were on standby for the tournament have been asked by the Organisers to replace them.

The CAF Women Champions League WAFU B' finalist officially pulled out of the Pre-season tournament on Friday evening, citing doubt in players level of fitness. 

Also, another stand-by team, Kaduna Queens will now get the opportunity to compete at the third edition of the tournament after they replaced Oasis Ladies, who failed to meet up due to logistic reasons. 

The 'Jewels Of Rivers' finished as runners-up at the just concluded Betsy Obaseki Cup in Benin, where they lost to eventual winners Bayelsa Queens in the finals, while Kaduna Queens lost all their matches at the tournament.

SGH Sports Academy and Kaduna Queens will now play in Group B alongside Confluence Queens and Sunshine Queens. 

The third edition of the Flying Officers Cup will Kick-Off from the 10th to the 24th of October at the Area 10 Sports Complex, Abuja.

Lagos SWAN Reacts to Kelechi Iheanacho's Physical Assault On Journalist

Lagos State wing of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Lagos SWAN has condemned the physical assault meted out to Yinka Oyedele by Kelechi Iheanacho of the Super Eagles. 

The incident happened on Tuesday after the Super Eagles at the Teslim Balogun Stadium when the Brila FM journalist requested an interview from the player, instead, the player resolve to shove and dragging the journalist. 

This incident which was widely reported got the attention of the Lagos SWAN of who frowned at the maltreatment and disrespectful act of the player. 

A statement released and signed by the Chairman of the Lagos SWAN, Debo Oshundun, reads in part " Lagos SWAN frowned at this embarrassing act and disrespect to a journalist" and Oyedele as a professional that doesn't deserve the ill-treatment.  

The body then urge the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to call the player to order and educate the players to educate on etIquette and relationship with the Journalists. 

" While we urge the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to as a matter of urgency call the player to order, it is also not out a place for the football house further educate the players on etIquette and relationship with the men of the fourth estate of realm and fans alike" read the statement. 

Kelechi Iheanacho was shambolic when the Super Eagles were defeated on Wednesday by lowly rated Central African Republic, by 1-0 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in the 2022 World Cup qualifier played in Lagos.