Maduka Okoye made his second league appearance for Sparta Rotterdam who beat RKC Waalwijk 2-0 on Saturday to claim their first league win of the season, Completesports.com reports.
It was Sparta Rotterdam’s first win in eight Eredivisie games in the current campaign.
After a goalless first half, Sparta Rotterdam broke the deadlock in the 59th minute through Lennart Thy.
Also Read: Eredivisie: Ebuehi Helps Twente Claim Away Win At ADO Den Haag
And in stoppage time Abdou Harroui made sure of the points for the visitors as he made it 2-0.
The win took Sparta to 13th on six points in the 18-team Dutch Eredivisie.
Okoye is expected to be in Benin, Edo State on Monday ahead of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone.
He was in goal for the Eagles in their two friendly games against Algeria and Tunisia in Austria last month.
By James Agberebi
15 Comments
Good one
Okoye has gradually placed himself as the No. 1 choice goalkeeper at Sparta. He made 4 good saves to give his team the Victory. He is a Star guys! There first win of the season. Congrats to Okoye for making this great feat with his teammates.
As per who should man the post against Sierra Leone, Akpere(Basket) should please sit with his experience on the bench. People busy shouting experience! experience! everywhere, I just laugh at them. What has that experience added to Super Eagles since he’s been there other than Creating fear in the hearts of fans, conceding Unwarranted goals and making silly mistakes?? Nothing else. If that is what experience is all about.. We don’t need it. We don’t need him again. Come 13th, Maduka Okoye should man that post and if we record a very good win at home, Osigwe should keep in the other leg. Peace
Well you have spoken your heart which you have the right to anyway.But I’m afraid Rohr may see it differently.
Okoye and Osigwe have done well for their teams.Both have built their profile high enough to give Akpeyi and Uzoho a stiff competition.
However,the choice for who to man the post is a close call.Remember if we win our next game it will guarantee qualification and the gaffer may not want to risk new faces if you get what I mean.
So prepare your mind because it looks most likely the one you wish not to see in goal may be the likely choice.
@Greenturf, I like your view on this issue.
You are seeing what I’m seeing too?
“So prepare your mind because it looks most likely the one you wish not to see in goal may be the likely choice”.
But why does it have to be like that?
If this eventually happens then, Oga Rohr and Oga Agu can not build us a team we are demanding from NFF period.
Less I forget Mr. Greenturf, don’t forget that we still have another Nigerian goalkeeper in Australia. I think his name is Lawal and news says the guy was extremely good during the training camp in Australia last month when Eagles were preparing to play their friendlies against Algeria and Tunisia.
For now, we have 6 goalkeepers apart from Akpeyi and Ezenwa.
Why Akpeyi again? You can see now that NFF and Oga Rohr are deceiving us by telling Nigerians that they are building a young team for the future?
I’m shaking my head for NFF. God bless Nigeria!!!
Sometimes I am baffle with some of your comments. Without GR, okoye will not be playing in Sparta Rotherham today. He was signed on the back drop of his appearance in the match against Brazil. He got his first competitive appearance with his club after the game against Algeria and Tunisia. I remembered the first time, okoye was invited alot of people criticized him for inviting a 4th division player but less than a year they’ve all swallowed their word. Please let us allow the GR to do his job.
Thank you @Mercy….those who criticized Rohr for inviting Okoye to the SE when he was still playing reserve team football are the ones now touting the same Okoye to be No 1. Same way Osimhen has now become their ex-factor player whereas they criticized Rohr for bringing him into the SE when he wasnt even seeing gametime at wolfburg. Na dem sabi the work pass the coach. My own happiness is that right under our noses, our SE goalkeeping department has developed to the point whereby any 4 or 5 Gks with international experience is camp can man the post without anybody developing high BP…and for the next 10 years, we are covered in the GK department. Unlike those days when Enyeama’s absence was always a cause for worry.
Congratulations to Okoye. Keep it up and never relents.
@Lloyd, God bless you more and more. You said it well.
You see gentleman, truth is very hard to say when it comes to Nigerian issues.
Hmm. Don’t be surprised if you see Akpeyi manning the goal post on that day.
If truly NFF in support of building an indomitable young solid team for the future, after the world cup in Russia, NFF would have hired Enyeama as a new goalkeeper trainer and as time goes on, Ikeme would joined the team.
Also, Oga Rohr should have bn fired and replaced after the world cup and Afcon because he has failed.
Another option is this, since Amunike and Siasia are not available, Aguavon should be the one next to Oga Rohr as an assistant coach and Yobo should under study them.
NFF should please strengthen the coaching staffs of the Super Eagles.
These are the best candidates for the job in my own opinion.
Head coach, Mr. Rohr
Assistant coach Aguavon
Second assistant coach Yobo
Goalkeeper trainers,
Enyeama
Ukeme.
If NFF failed to do this, don’t expect miracles from the gaffers because the coaches of the Super Eagles are not up to the task and they can not give what they don’t have. That is the bitter truth of the matter.
For us to witnessed good football as a country in Nigeria, Oga Rohr need someone to help him and Enyeama and Ikeme are more qualified to be the new trainers of the Super Eagles.
These are the things NFF have to get right otherwise, Super Eagles may not reaches their potentials under Oga Rohr.
At the moment,
Akpeyi should be left alone with his experience. He have tried his best and the coaches should please try another goalies.
We have young goalkeepers that are ready to man the post for Super Eagles but can the coaches of the team allowing them to show us their worth? I don’t think so.
Oga Rohr did the same thing when Ighalo was there with the team.
The past coaches of the Super Eagles gave chances to young players. To name few, Osage, Mikel and so on.
Confident is what is lacking in this current Nigerian team. The gaffers needs to take risks.
We have five fantastic goalies the coaches can choose from but can they?
We have,
No1. Uzoho
No2. Okoye
No3. Alanpasun
No4. Osagwe
No5. Yakubu
So, if Oga Rohr and coach Agu can not pick the very best out of these five goalies, they don’t deserve to be the Super Eagles managers.
Once again, truth is bitter and hot to say but we can’t continue this way my people. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
I concur that the duo of Daniel Akpeyi and Ikechukwu Ezenwa have given their best to the Super Eagles and therefore should bow out honorably ,considering their ages.Age is also not on the sides of Theophilus Afelokhai and Dele Ajiboye.It’s so sad that former Olympic goalkeeper,Emmanuel Daniel and a once-promising Edward Ogbebor-Onaiwu have suddenly gone into oblivion.The above guys should give way for these up and coming goalkeepers to excel in the national team…
Current young Super Eagles goalkeepers
1.Francis Uzoho
2.Maduka Okoye
3.Matthew Yakubu
4.Dele Alampasu
5.Sebastian Osigwe
6.Tobias Okiki Lawal
Interestingly,three of them,Okoye(Germany), Osigwe(Switzerland) and Lawal(Austria), were born abroad.
Possible New Recruits
1.David Nwolokor
2.Philip Ejimadu
3.Adebayo Adeleye
4.Matthew Idama Cyprian
5.Ikuepamitan Ayotunde Ezekiel
6.Arthur Okonkwo
7.Noah Atubolu
8.Gavin Bazunu
9.Emmanuel Idem
10.Manny Agboola
11.Joseph Osaghae
Also Flying Eagles hopefuls like Jonathan Zacalla,Daniel Jinadu,Prince Adegoke,Ovie Ejeheri,Joseph Oluwabusola,Joshua Oluwayemi,Tobi Oluwayemi,Kelechi Chibueze etc are not too young to be called up to understudy the other goalkeepers.
Is Yobo not more technical than Senegal and Algeria coach anymore…..? LMAO. Only few weeks ago you were requesting for a boycott and by extension, a 4 year ban for the SE. Did you consider these young boys’ (whom you are now listing) careers when you were calling for a ban…? Are you not protesting anymore…? If your family was amongst those killed will you be commenting on CSN….LMAO. Chameleon…!
Akpeyi is gone. Osigwe and Okoye with Uzoho lurking behind has taken over super eagles goalkeeping department
@Chuks Haifa… Akpeyi don suffer. The guy no the inspire confidence much but I believe he is decent just often comes across as shaky.
Akpeyi has never been a national team material from day one..the guy is misfit ..As for ezenwa that one is a comic character he is good for NPFL..I think these goal keepers are been forced on Rohr..I remember our match again Benin in uyo,Rohr wanted to field okoye for that but orders came against it..we go soon protest on this issue of akpeyi and ezenwa…
If rohr used akpeyi then he is confused. Okoye has done enough to man the post. He deserves it. Rohr can’t continue bto push a mediocre like akpeyi in us.
That is what u get when u play for national team. I remembered d day the idiot omo9ja was criticising d coach for inviting a goalkeeper from fourth tier but today the coach has been vindicated and yet the idiot has not repent still having gut to post his senseless comment again.
_Seventeen goalkeepers available to the Super Eagles_
The stocks of temporary Super Eagles Number One goalkeeper Maduka Okoye continue to rise following another impressive performance in the Dutch league where he kept a clean sheet in his side’s 2:0 victory against RKC Waalwijk this weekend.
Elsewhere, Super Eagles latest invitee-goalkeeper Sebastian Osigwe is back in the fray to represent Nigeria in November’s Afcon qualifiers having now tested negative for Covid-19 following a previous positive test several days ago.
Many fans of the former Flying Eagle have clamoured for months for his inclusion to the Super Eagles but those calls had initially fallen on deaf administrative ears.
But, in a positive turnaround in fortunes for the 26 year old Swiss-Nigerian, he was handed a call-up to the Super Eagles squad for November assignments.
Just when his vociferous fans were starting to jump up and down in celebration of Osigwe’s invite, their excitement was dealt a painful blow with the news of the FC Lugano man’s positive covid-19 test results on October 30th.
Happily though, following another test, Osigwe was reported on November 6th to have tested negative for the dreaded virus much to the delight and relief of his fans who cannot wait to see the latest in a long line of promising goalkeepers kit out for Nigeria.
There was a time when the narrative was peddled that the Super Eagles have a goalkeeping crisis.
However, with young goalkeepers Dele Alampasu and Matthew Yakubu earning invitations For October whilst Maduka Okoye featured and did well in the period, are the days of goalkeeping crisis over for the Super Eagles?
I will say yes, potentially. There are now many young and vibrant dual nationality and indigenous goalkeepers lining up to man in between the sticks for Nigeria when called upon.
And based on how Okoye and Uzoho have acquitted themselves admirably in Super Eagles colours, there is nothing to suggest these prospects will not rise to the occasion.
I now use this opportunity to list young goalkeepers currently available to the Super Eagles below (culled from Hillary’s helpful piece ):
Current young Super Eagles goalkeepers
1.Francis Uzoho
2.Maduka Okoye
3.Matthew Yakubu
4.Dele Alampasu
5.Sebastian Osigwe
6.Tobias Okiki Lawal
Interestingly,three of them,Okoye(Germany), Osigwe(Switzerland) and Lawal(Austria), were born abroad.
Other viable and vibrant options:
1.David Nwolokor
2.Philip Ejimadu
3.Adebayo Adeleye
4.Matthew Idama Cyprian
5.Ikuepamitan Ayotunde Ezekiel
6.Arthur Okonkwo
7.Noah Atubolu
8.Gavin Bazunu
9.Emmanuel Idem
10.Manny Agboola
11.Joseph Osaghae
Flying Eagles of Nigeria’s options:
Prospects like Jonathan Zacalla,Daniel Jinadu,Prince Adegoke,Ovie Ejeheri,Joseph Oluwabusola,Joshua Oluwayemi,Tobi Oluwayemi,Kelechi Chibueze etc are not too young to be called up to shadow national team goalkeepers.