By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria will be missing at both the 2023 IHF U18 and U20 World Championships, after losing the final match of the just concluded qualification series.
Africa’s largest country finished third in the U18 category of the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Championship in Costa Rica, after a 28-27 loss to Georgia on Sunday.
The Nigerian team had also lost out in the U20 category.
The U18 team had a chance of winning but squandered it after they won two, played one draw and incurred defeat during the competition in faraway Costa Rica.
Had they won their last game, the national male handball team had a chance of winning the title and also qualifying for the IHF under 20 world championship but they met a brick wall in the Georgians, who were determined to get a result and thus lost the first half 16-15.
According to the Handball Federation of Nigeria, in the second half of the final encounter, Georgia defended well against Nigeria onslaught by taking the initiative in the final minutes, before winning at the last second with 28-27 scoreline.
All together, Nigeria had 48 shots one more than their opponent but had 56% shot efficiency while Georgia had 60% shot efficiency.
This is Nigeria’s first defeat in the IHF Trophy Challenge, since they lost against Chinese Taipei in Kosovo in 2019.
The winners in the under 18 and 20 categories of the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Championship 2023 -Guadaloupe and Guinea have therefore, qualified for the World Championship which will be held later in the year.
