By Chinedum Ohanusi
Nigeria’s Senior Men’s Handball Team, the Golden Arrows produced a dominant all-round display, to overpower record their second straight win, at the 25th Africa Handball Nations Cup, which enters Day 3 today (Friday), in Kigali, Rwanda.
Having edged Algeria 25-23 on Day 1, Nigeria proved too strong for Zamb, and subdued the Southern Africans, 36–18 in their second Group A match, yesterday..
By virtue of the victory, Nigeria, which could only finish in the 9th position, at the last edition; booked their place in the quarterfinals of the competition, with a game to spare.
The Golden Arrows asserted their authority early in the encounter, combining solid defence with sharp attacking play to open a seven-point lead at halftime (17–10).
The Coach Rafiu Salami’s tutored team, then raised the tempo after the restart, and completely outclassed their Zambian opponents with swift ball circulation, effective shooting from the backcourt and solid defensive organisation.
France-based right Winger, Azeez Sulaiman delivered the standout performance of the day; and was Nigeria’s top scorer with eight goals.
He also dictated play and led the offensive charge, each time the Golden Arrows surged ahead, and his impressive overall play earned him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Sulaiman, was well supported by Faruk Yusuf and lanky John Shagari, who both contributed five goals apiece, while Rotibi Victor added four goals from the backcourt.
Hakeem Salami chipped in with four goals, Mustapha Mohammed scored three, and Kareem Ajibike also registered three goals.
Further goals came from Dikko Ibrahim, who scored two, while Captain Stephen Sessugh and Cole Gbenga got one goal each, to complete a balanced team performance, which also underlined Nigeria’s attacking depth.
Defensively, the Golden Arrows were equally impressive, as they restricted Zambia to just eight goals in the second half, whilst maintaining compact lines, that forced the Zambians to yield turnovers, that translated into quick counter-attacks.
With two convincing victories, from as many games, Nigeria have already achieved their objective in this championship, and having secured qualification to play in the last eight, it is left to be seen how far, the team can further strengthen their credentials, as one of the tournament’s most competitive sides, and possibly reach the semifinals.
The Golden Arrows will conclude their Group A campaign against host nation Rwanda on Saturday, as they look to maintain their perfect momentum, in the group phase; before embarking on an Odatious quest of qualifying for the 2027 World Championship in Germany.
