The national U-18 male team defeated Nicaragua 46-30 on Wednesday in San Jose, Costa Rica, to open play in the IHF Trophy International Tournament.
This was revealed in a statement issued by Cosmos Chukwuemeka, the Handball Federation of Nigeria’s media assistant, on Thursday in Lagos.
He claimed that the squad had a strong start to the game, which led to players like Tahir Ahmed Lawal and Olawale Ajibike having near shot effectiveness of over 81 percent.
They easily prevailed 19-9 in the first half.
Nigeria didn’t exactly have it easy in the second half as Nicaragua came out to turn the game around.
Among other things, Perez Sincler improved the Nigerian team’s 50% 7-meter shot effectiveness by forcing turnovers.
But, Emeka Nnamani, the coach of Nigeria, kept them at bay with his masterful tactics, allowing Nigeria to recover and regain control, winning the second half 27-21.
Ultimately, Nigeria had 62 shots with a 74% effectiveness rate for all shoots compared to Nicaragua’s 56%, thereby winning the game at the 6-meter line.
They also profited from close shots, wing shots, and additional quick breaks to secure their first victory of the match.
Nigeria’s next game is against Guadaloupe on Thursday (today) at 1 p.m. local time (8 pm Nigeria time).
(NAN)
