Nigeria Finish Second at IHF Trophy After Overtime Loss
Nigeria’s U-18 men’s handball team secured a runner-up finish at the IHF Trophy’s Intercontinental Phase after a 34-30 overtime loss to hosts Kosovo in Sunday’s final in Pristina.
Hard-Fought Battle Ends in Overtime
Determined to avenge their preliminary stage loss, Nigeria started strong but were held to a 13-13 first-half draw by Kosovo’s resolute defense.
In the second half, Nigeria led 26-24 with under three minutes left, thanks to a 13-goal effort from Christian Foloki and Mustapha Mohammed. However, Kosovo’s Amar Muqolli scored twice late to force overtime, where the hosts capitalized on home support to clinch a 34-30 victory.
Final Standings and Individual Honors
- Gold: Kosovo
- Silver: Nigeria
- Bronze: USA (defeated Uzbekistan 36-34)
Despite the loss, Nigeria’s Mustapha Mohammed finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 43 goals, ahead of Muqolli (30 goals) and Granit Kadiri (29 goals) of Kosovo.
Heartbreak for Nigeria Again
- This marks Nigeria’s second final loss, following their 2019 defeat to Chinese Taipei. They also finished third in the 2023 edition.
A win would have secured Nigeria a spot in the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship later this year, but they will now have to wait for another opportunity.
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