After a 31:31 draw in the first match of the 2025 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, Nigeria delivered a clear win against Azerbaijan, 29:17, with an excellent second half performance against Azerbaijan, despite scoring only nine goals in the first 30 minutes.

GROUP B
Azerbaijan vs Nigeria 17:29 (8:9)

It looked like a no-brainer to have Nigeria as a favourite to win the match, after they drew their opener against the United States of America, 31:31, at the 2025 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, but Azerbaijan delivered one of their best performances in history in the competition in the first half, to keep the African side guessing.

While it might have looked plain sailing for Nigeria after the first seven minutes, when they took a 4:1 lead, which morphed into a 7:3 one after 14 minutes, thanks to three goals from Faruk Yusuf, Nigeria’s best player, the African side had trouble scoring in the second part of the first half.

In fact, they only scored twice in the next 15 minutes and 50 seconds, with their shooting efficiency plummeting, and entering a turnover bid with their opponents, with 13 for Azerbaijan and 10 for the African side in the first half alone.

For their part, Azerbaijan did the best they could, with a 3:0 unanswered run and another 3:1 run which cut the gap to a single goal at the break, 9:8, as Azerbaijan even tied the score with the first goal of the second half, 9:9.

But that was the best Azerbaijan could do in a tough battle for survival, with a loss meaning they are out of contention for a semi-finals berth. Nigeria also did not forget they clinched a 35:18 win against their opponents two years ago and decided the match with a pivotal 6:0 run, turning the game on its head.

Swiftly taking advantage of Azerbaijan’s turnovers, Nigeria embarked on a 13:1 run, part of two runs which saw the African side enjoy a 6:0 and a 7:0 unanswered runs, between the 32nd and the 45 minutes, when they were unstoppable especially on fast breaks, taking advantage of their opponents’ woes.

In fact, with Faruk Yusuf, Solomon Yusuf and Kareem Ajibike firing from all cylinders, Nigeria tied the number of goals scored in the first half after only 10 minutes and 53 seconds in the second part, opening an unassailable gap.

In the end, Nigeria, which were gunning for a larger win than USA’s 16-goal one against the Republic of Moldova, had to settle for a 29:17 win, with John Shagari scoring seven times, Kareem Ajibike adding six goals, while Faruk Yusuf also had six goals under his name at the end of the match.

Nigeria face the Republic of Moldova in the last match of the preliminary round, while Azerbaijan play against the USA. Nigeria are second in the group standings, with a lower goal difference (+12) than USA (+16), therefore will need a bigger win than their counterparts to win the group, provided both teams win their matches.

Player of the Match: John Shagari (Nigeria)