2014 AYG: Nigeria’s under-15 footballers emerge African champions

Nigeria’s under-15 boys on Friday won the gold medal in the football event at the second edition of the African Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana.
The Nigerian boys, who needed just a draw to secure the event’s gold medal, went on to beat Swaziland 3-1 in their last game at the University of Botswana football pitch.
According to a report monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria, they won with goals from Nasifi Yahaya, Ali Musa and Young Elisha.
The victory ensured that Nigeria topped the six-team event’s table with 13 points, while Tanzania and Mali picked the silver and bronze medals respectively.
The Nigerian side were impressive all through, with four wins and one draw in five matches as they conceded just one goal and scored 10.
The team defeated hosts Botswana 2-0 in their first game, drew 0-0 with Mali, beat South Africa 3-0, defeated Tanzania 2-0 and ended the romping with the 3-1 win over Swaziland.
Speaking later about the team, its coach, Danladi Nasidi, attributed the success to the one-month camping they had before the competition.
“I’m a happy man today and I must say the one-month camping we had in Abuja before the competition really helped us,” he said.
The tournament’s format had seen all six participating teams engaging each other in a round-robin format, with the best-placed team on the table winning the gold medal.
Late withdrawals by DR Congo and Gabon had meant there were six teams left to participate in the football event of the AYG.
These are Nigeria, Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Mali.
The Games ends on Saturday, after having witnessed the convergence of about 2,500 athletes from 54 countries for 10 days of competition in 21 sports.
The sports are athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, fencing, football, golf, judo, karate, netball, rowing, rugby, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball and weightlifting.
The Games are for athletes aged 14 to 18, and offer African athletes a platform to prepare for the Youth Olympic Games.