Heroic Stars secure famous draw with African champions Nigeria

Composed Harambee Stars battled to a 1-1 draw with African champions Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier match played at Calabar on Saturday.

Francis Kahata gave Kenya a first half lead and the Stars looked well on their way to a famous victory before Nnamdi Oduamadi brought the Eagles back from the dead with an equalizer deep into the five minutes of time added on.

The west Africans took charge of the proceedings at a packed 16,000 seater U.J Euseune facility with Chelsea duo John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses full of running in a bid to secure an early advantage.

It was Moses, who curved out the first real threat at Origi’s goal after four minutes but his run was cut short by Mulinge Munandi for a fruitless corner.

The hosts, buoyed by the trademark Eagles’ anthem from the team’s band and a chorus of cheers were at it again in four minutes later as Origi was called to hold a dangerous free kick by Sunday Mba from 25 yards.

Origi’s opposite number Vincent Enyeama had his first touch of the ball on the quarter hour mark, courtesy of a feeble attempt from outside the box.

The African champions then resorted to raking long balls in the D- area with former Levante striker Obafemi Martins the real target, but the Kenyan central defence marshalled by South African based Brian Mandela and David ‘Cheche’ Ochieng stood firm.

Origi then saved from Moses yet again, and Jamal Mohammed cleared a header off the line before, against all expectations, Kenya struck.

Dennis Oliech’s through ball towards Gateri forced a Nigerian defender to foul the South African based forward just outside the ball, and Thika United playmaker curved the resultant free kick into the back of the net leaving Enyeama stranded, and a majority of the fans in the venue gobsmacked.

Kenya had a scare on the stroke of halftime as Origi’s was penalized for delaying to release the ball, but Mba’s could only aim his free kick from inside the box onto the Kenyan wall.

Nigeria came back forcefully in the second period with Mba yet again coming close with a fierce drive that whizzed off the upright.

Amrouche then sent on Tusker Peter Opiyo for the fading Jamal Mohammed to stabilize the Kenyan midfield.

Kahata should have ended the match as a contest, but fluffed a one on one chance with only Enyeama to beat.

Amrouche was sent off for contesting the referee’s decision in the final minutes as Kenya held. They looked well on their way until the third minute of time added on when Oduamadi fired home after the Kenya defence failed to clear a long throw in.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho reiterated yesterday his claim that he and not Spain handler Vicente Del Bosque was the rightful recipient of Fifa’s 2012 World Coach of the Year award.

Mourinho this week alleged that del Bosque picked up the honour at a ceremony in Zurich in January only after “irregularities” when people who had voted for him had their votes changed.

He raised the issue again at a press conference in Setubal where he praised Macedonia captain Goran Pandev for publicly backing his contested version of events.

“I would simply like to thank one of numerous others who phoned me to warn me (of vote rigging), because it’s not easy.

“This person who had the honour and the strength to publicly assume when others requested anonymity,” Mourinho added, confirming to reporters he was referring to and praising “the captain of the Macedonia national team”.

On Thursday Pandev had added weight to Mourinho’s allegation when he told Spanish television channel La Sexta he had voted for the Real boss only for his vote to be changed for Del Bosque.

Del Bosque, who has dismissed as “childish” Mourinho’s version of events, took the award with 35% of the vote from international players, managers and journalists compared to 20% for his outspoken Portuguese rival.

On Friday Fifa published on its website the offical voting list with Pandev’s vote going to Del Bosque, although the Macedonian subsequently insisted on Italian website Calciomercato.com that the signature did not belong to him.

The 50-year-old former Chelsea boss said he didn’t attend the gala event in Zurich due to what he believed to be irregularities in the vote. “I don’t regret not attending the event in person,” Mourinho told Portuguese TV station RTP.

“One, two or three people called me to say they had voted for me and in the end another name appeared in their votes. Therefore I decided not to go.”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are planning to sue Eufemiano Fuentes, the Spanish doctor at the centre of a blood doping scandal who claims the Spanish football giants owe him money.

In a statement released late Friday the club stated: “Facing the attempt by Fuentes to mislead, clearly with bad intention, public opinion regarding the nature of his relationship with the club Real Madrid are going to take immediate legal action against Fuentes.”

Fuentes is currently on trial in Madrid on charges of endangering public health by performing blood transfusions on a number of high-profile cyclists. On Friday, as the penultimate day of his trial closed, he told waiting journalists that he was looking for money owed to him by the nine-time European champions.

“I am interested in receiving the debt Real Madrid have with me and is nearly due to be paid,” he told National Spanish Radio. Fuentes’ lawyer Tomas Valdivielso added that “Real Madrid have a debt with Eufemiano Fuentes from 2007, 2008 or 2009, I don’t remember which.”

Real claim that if any debt existed, it had nothing to do with Fuentes providing any medical service to their players, but instead related to his role as a witness for Real in a court case the club took against French newspaper Le Monde in 2006.

Real explained: “In the action brought by Real Madrid against Le Monde, the club did ask Fuentes to act as a witness...against the false information published by the paper suggesting a contract existed between Fuentes and the club to treat players. (AFP)