2 weeks ago
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Head coach of Nigeria’s U-18 men handball team Emeka Nnamani has showered his team with praise following their impressive start to the IHF Trophy Africa Men Continental Phase in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, The PUNCH reports.
“I am very happy because we achieved our objective in the match despite playing against the host and their fans,” he said.
“We knew that a victory for us would give us easy access to the semi-finals, and the boys did their part in actualising our tactical plan. They understood the business of the match and did exactly what we told them to do tactically. It was a good match, and we are ready for the next match.”
Nigeria made it two wins from as many games at the ongoing championship to book their place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Nnamani’s lad started the campaign with a 36-21 win over Zambia on Sunday, with goalkeeper Samuel Obabori rightly awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Match.
They followed up the victory with another impressive outing against hosts Ethiopia and claimed a 47-31 win on Monday to remain unbeaten.
Despite the disadvantage of playing against the hosts, who had the fans on their side, the Nnamani-tutored lads were spot on from the first blast of the whistle as they claimed the first half with a 25-16 lead.
The second half saw a better and improved performance from the Ethiopians as they started shooting better in the first minutes of the half but Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Obabori put in another MVP performance once again, just as he did against Zambia with vital saves, while the outcourt players continued to outscore the host to win 47-31.
Again, Obabori won the Most Valuable Player of the match for the second time.
Speaking after the game, an elated Nnamani praised the resilience of his team for standing tall despite playing against the host nation and their fans.
Nigeria will play Cameroon in the semi-final of the competition on Tuesday (today) at 5 pm Nigerian time.
English (US) ·