Yekini Adebayo, the coach of Niger United, expressed disappointment with his team’s draw against Kano Pillars in the ongoing Ardova Handball Premier League held in Benin.
Adebayo attributed the missed chances by his players as the primary reason for the outcome, emphasizing that Niger United had ample opportunities to secure a victory.
The heroics of Kano Pillars’ goalkeeper, Ismaila Abdulwahab, particularly stood out as he saved a penalty just four seconds before the end of the game.
Adebayo acknowledged that a win would have been a significant boost for his team, considering their overall dominance during the match. However, he stressed the importance of his players improving their scoring abilities to perform well in the league.
“We had the chance to win the game, but our poor finishing let us down. We had a penalty at the end of the game, but we lost it. We will have to improve if we hope to win.
We need to score more goals as it might come down to goal difference to win the league,” Adebayo lamented. He remained optimistic about the team’s future prospects and believed they were destined to draw the game despite the missed opportunities.
In other matches of the men’s category, Confluence Stars secured a 22-15 victory over Bendel Dynamos, while Police Machine narrowly defeated Lagos Seasiders with a score of 23-22.
In the women’s category, Benue Queens suffered a 43-23 defeat against Rima Queens, whereas Plateau Peacock emerged victorious by a slim margin of 28-27 against Delta Queens.
Bala Mohammed, the Technical Director of the Handball Federation of Nigeria, commented on the competitiveness of the teams and highlighted the close nature of the competition.
Mohammed emphasized that it was too early to make predictions about the eventual outcome of the league, considering the fierce competition among the participating teams.
As the Ardova Handball Premier League progresses, teams are expected to learn from their experiences and strive for better performances in the upcoming matches to secure their positions in the league standings.
