The United States of America led by as many as seven goals in the first half, they had six goals at half-time, but eventually they shared the spoils with Nigeria, 31:31, in a dramatic second match of the opening day at the 2025 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship.

GROUP B
United States of America vs Nigeria 31:31 (18:12)

Fresh after finishing on the 26th place at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship, the United States of America brought a much-changed team to the 2025 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, but with experienced players like Pal Merkovszky and Andrew Donlin in their ranks, they were still favoured to win Group B.

And after 13 minutes of their opener against Nigeria, they proved their credentials, running away with a 9:2 lead, as Merkovszky had a saving efficiency of over 50%, while Donlin, a lynchpin in defence, had scored four goals.

It looked to be an unassailable lead, as the USA provided great defensive cover, forcing Nigeria either to turn the ball over or try difficult shots, which had a low chance of being converted into goals.

A 5:1 run for Nigeria in the middle of the first half, engineered by Timothy Isa, helped the African side, which is aiming for the best result of the team from that continent at the IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship, to mount a comeback and cut the gap to only three goals, 10:7.

Yet in the end of the first half, the USA pressed again, scored eight goals in the last 12 minutes and were comfortably up ahead by six goals, 18:12, with Donlin scoring seven goals by that point.

However, the goals dried up in the second half for the American side, as Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Obinna Okwor, started raking up saves, including some one-on-one situations, which fueled a comeback for the African side.

Entering the fray only in the second part, right back Faruk Yusuf, who features in the French league for Limoges and is Nigeria’s most experienced player, was a key part in that comeback attempt, which saw Nigeria ride a 6:1 run, preventing the American side to score more than one goal in 12 minutes.

By that time, with 12 minutes to go, Nigeria cut the gap to only two goals, 24:22, and boosted by a fantastic performance from Faruk Yusuf, who became the fulcrum of the team’s attack, they even took the lead, 29:28, for the first time, with three minutes to go.

While Yusuf finished with five goals and three assists, USA had the Player of the Match, Amar Amitovic, who scored 10 goals and dished six assists, including the last goal of the match, a converted penalty, which saw the USA save a draw, 31:31, in dramatic fashion.

Nigeria and the USA are now tied on the second and third place in the standings, with one point each, behind the Republic of Moldova. The two sides still have to play the current group leaders and Azerbaijan in the preliminary round of the 2025 IHF Men’s Emerging Nations Championship.

Player of the Match: Amar Amitovic (United States of America)

Photo credit: Bulgarian Handball Association