Players, coaches and officials in Nigeria’s under-20 men’s team are cherishing their third place finish at the 33rd Africa Men’s Junior Handball Championship in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Sports247 reports that the achievement came after the squad beat Angola 24-19 in their third-place encounter on Saturday, which Coach David Emmanuel’s side dominated from the start.
The Nigerians took a huge 13-6 lead into half-time, following which they maintained their grip on the game in the second stanza to secure a five-goal victory margin, despite a late surge from the Angolans.
This consolation win came a day after the Nigerians lost the semi-final 44-23 to Tunisia, who clinched a spot in the final after dominating the opening half and went into half time with a 23-11 lead.
The Nigerians put up a gallant fightback in the second half, but Tunisia stood strong to secure their passage into the final, while Nigeria battled Angola with a view towards ending their run with a bronze medal.
Top shots of Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) also celebrated what has been regarded as a highly successful outing by Coach Emmanuel’s squad, as they picked a podium spot after qualifying for the global championship with their surge to the last-four in Abidjan.
HFN’s media commission vice-chairman, Cosmos Chukwuemeka Akisi disclosed, “Angola had defeated Nigeria 25-20 in the group stage of the competition which ensured that Coach Emmanuel boys finished second behind the Southern Africa’ side.
“The bronze medal caps an impressive campaign for the Nigerian youngsters, who had earlier secured qualification for the 2027 IHF Men’s U21 Handball World Championship in North Macedonia after defeating Guinea 28-23 in the quarter-finals.
“Nigeria has also qualified for the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Phase by the virtue of their ranking above all other countries in the IHF Trophy Africa Phase in the Championship.”
