On the second day of the 5th IHF Emerging Nations Championship in Varna, Bulgaria, the Nigeria under-23 team overcame Azerbaijan 29-17 thanks to an impressive second half performance.
The Solomon Yola-coached squad came into the match more prepared after their opening day 31-31 stalemate against the United States of America, but they still struggled to produce goals after gaining a 4-1 lead and then holding their own to win the first half 9-8.
The second half began, and it appeared that Azerbaijan came blazing on all cylinders, as they drew the first blood in the half, but that only awakened Nigeria and they matched up as Coach Solomon Yola’s team quickly took advantage of Azerbaijan’s turnovers. Nigeria embarked on a 13:1 run, part of two runs which saw the African side enjoy a 6:0 and a 7:0 unanswered runs, between the 32nd and the 45th minutes, when they were unstoppable, especially on fast breaks, taking advantage of their opponents’
Indeed, with Faruk Yusuf, Solomon Yusuf, and Kareem Ajibike blazing on all cylinders, Nigeria matched the amount of goals scored in the first half after only 10 minutes and 53 seconds in the second half.
Nigeria eventually won 29-17, with John Shagari, the MVP of the match, scoring seven goals, Kareem Ajibike adding six, and Faruk Yusuf also scoring six.
The last match of the preliminary round will see Nigeria against the Republic of Moldova, while Azerbaijan will take on the United States. The United States beat Moldova, 42-26.
Nigeria is second in the group rankings, with a smaller goal difference (+12) than the USA (+16), and will require a larger win than their opponents to win the group, if both sides win their games.
