Korea off the mark as Nigeria run out of steam

The Republic of Korea finally got some world championship points, defeating Nigeria in a match which was close until the early part of the second half.

GROUP B
Nigeria vs Republic of Korea 30:42 (19:21)

Asian junior champions Korea patiently overcame a spirited Nigeria attack to open their 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship points account in the third round of preliminary group matches.

It took a while for the game to get started with both teams missing their first attack, but by the fifth minute it was all-square at 5:5. Both sides had three-goal runs over the rest of the half as they stayed in touch with each other, but Nigeria blew the chance to equalise a number of times against their Korean counterparts led by Rakchan Kim, who pushed and pulled the Nigerian defence apart, scoring nine times from nine attempts in the opening period.

Despite this, Nigeria had their own leader, with Mohamed Anas registering six strikes in the first 30 minutes himself to keep his side in touch (21:19).

Having gone 22:20 ahead, Korea coach Manho Kim saw something he did not like and took a time out after just 150 seconds of the second half. Four unanswered goals followed, and this seemed to do the trick against the Nigerians who, with a squad of 12, had four less players to choose from on the bench and the tiredness was evident.

Two late direct red cards followed for Shittu Adewunmi Olumide’s side, with Anthony Ngbede Agada hooking the head of Byeongcheol Kim and Ibrahim Adio Owolabi, who got caught up in his defending against Jaesoon Kim.

“We fought one-on-one during the first half but then they have imposed speed on us in the second half,” said Nigeria’s assistance coach Innocent Nwankwo after the game. “They used their options to get the win.”

Korea’s assistant coach Okyun Kim echoed his opponents’ thoughts. “It was a difficult game because Nigeria showed they are on track, but our players have learned to be patient and got a clear advantage in the second half.”

Best Player of the Match: Rakchan Kim