By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigeria men’s hockey team made history at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana after it defeated Kenya in the third-place match to claim bronze.
It was the first time the country was finishing on the podium at the tournament after several attempts in the past.
Nigeria beat Kenya 4.2, courtesy of goals from Godwin Sunday, Sunday Emmanuel, Ibrahim Benjamin and Samaila James.
The Nigerian team had finished 5th in the 1983 edition of the competition, ended in the same position in 2000, and finished 4th in both the 2005 and 2009 editions and 5th in 2017.
The first position in 2022 was occupied by South Africa after it defeated Egypt 3-1 via a penalty after the game ended 1-1 at full time.
However, the women’s team defeated Namibia 1-0 in the 5-6th classification game to finish 5th at the tournament.
This is the team’s worst position since the competition started in 2005, though it finished 4th in 2005, 3rd in 2009, 3rd in 2017 and 5th in 2022.
South Africa beat Ghana 3-1 to claim the women’s trophy, while Kenya beat Zimbabwe to the third position.
Dipo Olowookere