Nigeria Suffer Heavy Defeat to Tunisia in Africa Women’s Youth Handball Championship Opener
Nigeria’s Women’s U-18 handball team began their campaign at the 2025 Africa Women’s Youth Handball Championship on a shaky note, falling 50–25 to Tunisia on Tuesday in their opening match played in Oran, Algeria.
The Coach John Uzor tutored team who had gotten 3 points after they walked over Madagascar on Sunday in what would have been their first match to earn a 10-0 victory, struggled right from the start, conceding a 25–8 first-half deficit that left them with a mountain to climb.
Tunisia capitalized on Nigeria’s lapses at both ends of the court to secure a comfortable victory.
Nigeria’s defeat was largely due to a combination of factors that left them unable to match their North African opponents. A fragile defense gave Tunisia too much room to operate, while a lack of confidence in attack resulted in several turnovers and missed opportunities.
The Nigerian girls also hit the bar multiple times when they looked certain to score, further frustrating their attempts at a comeback.
The team’s woes were compounded by a number of faulty passes and questionable substitutions from the bench, which led to several two-minute suspensions. Those moments gave Tunisia numerical advantage at key stages of the game and widened the score line beyond recovery.
Despite the heavy loss, Nigeria will look to regroup quickly as they prepare to face Benin Republic on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The match offers a chance for the team to restore confidence and get their campaign back on track.
