Sports
Korea Rep Hit Four Goals Past Ghana
Korea Republic grabbed another three points in an enthralling struggle between two skilful, spirited sides in Dresden and booked their place in the quarter-finals. For Ghana, who twice had the lead before succumbing to a 4-2 defeat, the situation is more complicated as they have only a single point to show from their two games in Group D.
Ghana led 2-1 early in the second half but allowed their opponents to score three times in the final 28 minutes with the fourth coming from Ji So-Yun, her second of the game adding to the hat-trick she scored in the 4-0 win over Switzerland on Wednesday.
Early on Ghana succeeded in keeping the talented Ji quiet, one, two and even three defenders quick to close her down. However she did manage to evade her markers in the 7th minute as she got on the end of Kim Jin-Young’s cross but in came Juliet Acheampong with a great block.
The game really got going in the 26th minute when Kim Hye-Ri and then Ji had a sight of goal but finished too high. However it was the African team who then went away and scored, a neat pass from Mercy Myles putting Deborah Afriyie in position to the left of goal and she managed to loft a shot out of the reach of Moon So-Ri.
In the 41st minute it was back level pegging again as Kim’s inswinging free-kick saw Ji get the slightest touch on it to score. In added time Elizabeth Cudjoe struck the post for Ghana with a low shot.
Korea found it easier to create opportunities in the second half. There were two good openings for Lee Hyun Young at the far post during the second period which she snatched at and they looked to be costly misses when in the 56th minute Ghana went ahead again when Cudjoe scored from a loose ball.
The lead lasted just six minutes and this time an outstanding free-kick from Kim brought the scores level again. It gave Korea Republic a surge of belief and they went on to score two more to finish well in front.
In the 70th minute good combination work from Ji and Jung Hae-In put in Kim Jin-Young who stabbed the ball home. Madson and Afriye came close in the same move and then with three minutes remaining Ji popped up to score with a precise header to make the game safe for Choi In Cheul’s side.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.