Nigeria Defeat Burkina Faso, Maintain Winning Run at IHF Women’s Trophy
Nigeria’s Senior Women’s Handball team continued their impressive campaign at the inaugural IHF Women’s Nations Trophy Africa Zone III with a commanding 33-25 victory over hosts Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on Friday evening.
The Nigerian side, led by Head Coach Michael Taangahar, produced a determined performance to take a narrow 14-13 lead into the half-time break after a keenly contested opening 30 minutes.
Nigeria returned from the break with greater intensity, strengthening their grip on the encounter and eventually finishing with an eight-goal victory at the Palais des Sports de Ouaga 2000.
Sadiya Musa led Nigeria’s scoring with six goals, while Wuraola Nuhu, Kirman Haruna, Rachael Ovetuo, Daina Saaloo and Grace Ahaemefula each contributed four goals as the Nigerian attack proved too strong for the hosts.
Balikisu Muhammed was one of Nigeria’s standout performers, scoring four goals and subsequently being voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match.
The victory gives Nigeria two wins from two matches in Group A, following their emphatic 39-18 defeat of Ghana in their opening game on Thursday.
Nigeria’s back-to-back victories have placed them in a strong position in the three-team group, with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals.
The Zone III champions will also earn a place at the 2026 CAHB African Women’s Handball Championship.
