Nigeria has finished third in the under 18 category of the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Championship 2023 in Costa Rica after a 28-27 loss to Georgia on early on Sunday morning.
The national under 18 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.
Despite a new zeal by Coach Emeka Nnamani tutored side in the second half, the Georgia defended well against Nigeria onslaught, took the initiative in the final minutes and won it at the last second through Sandro Darsania shot in the 9 meters to earn them a 28-27 victory.
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 in 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 for the IHF Under 18 and under 20 World Championship which will be held later in the year.
