It was a classy display by the male and
female teams of Port Harcourt zone
representing the South Region as they handed
down a comprehensive defeat to their Kaduna
counterparts in both categories at the on-going
National Championship of the season 3 of the Airtel Rising Stars National U-17 Tournament. The female team had set the tone for the final
picture of the day when they ran away with a
one nil victory over Kaduna Girls in the first
semi-final match in the female category
decided at the Agege Township Stadium.
The male team completed the round of victory
4-3 via penalty after playing out a one all draw
during regulation time. It was a game of one half each for the teams as
they keenly contested for the ticket to play in
the final of the Championship which ends on
Sunday. The Kaduna team, smarting from a 3-0
spanking of team Enugu in the quarter-final
match decided yesterday, looked like they
would carry the day as they clearly dominated
play all through the first half. Port Harcourt did well to curtail the many
incursions into their vital areas despite having
to play in their own half all the period. The pendulum however, appeared to have
swung in favour of team Port Harcourt as they
resumed the second half with more decisive
and coordinated play, turning the heat on their
opponent whom they had pegged back to their
own half. Their efforts finally paid off when Olu Gabriel
put them ahead in the ninth minute into the
second half. He however, was booked for
removing his shirt while celebrating. This goal obviously prompted a reaction from
the Kaduna team who equalized in the 15th
minute through Aliu Isa. The team however,
suffered a blow when Chima Kalu was shown a
straight red card for leaving the pitch to
change his boots without authorization from the referee. In the second semi-final match decided
between Lagos and Ibadan, it was Ibadan who
showed more hunger to play in the finals.
Ibadan converted 5 times to Lagos’s 4 after a
one all draw during regulation time ensured the
teams settled for penalties. Lagos had gone ahead in the 34th minute after goal keeper
Ridwan Adeleke of Ibadan failed to parry over a
shot from Ibrahim Idris. The joy of team Lagos
was shortlived as Ajuwon Idris drew the leveller
just a minute later 12 male and female teams totalling 192 players
drawn from six zones across the nation are
featuring in the three-day Championship which
began on Friday. The teams qualified for the three-day
championship after featuring in the zonal
championship phase where they had to see off
strong competition for the national finals
tickets from other equally good teams in their
zones. They include Kaduna, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Lagos, all of which have
been featuring both in the male and female
categories. Tournament partners, Youth Sports Federation
of Nigeria (YSFON) and the Nigeria Football
Coaches Association (NFCA) form an
independent team of assessors including
grassroots coaches to oversee technical
concerns during the championship. The Airtel Rising Stars U-17 Tourney, in its
third year running, is a pan African initiative of
Airtel Africa, designed to provide support for
the development of football talents across
African markets.
female teams of Port Harcourt zone
representing the South Region as they handed
down a comprehensive defeat to their Kaduna
counterparts in both categories at the on-going
National Championship of the season 3 of the Airtel Rising Stars National U-17 Tournament. The female team had set the tone for the final
picture of the day when they ran away with a
one nil victory over Kaduna Girls in the first
semi-final match in the female category
decided at the Agege Township Stadium.
The male team completed the round of victory
4-3 via penalty after playing out a one all draw
during regulation time. It was a game of one half each for the teams as
they keenly contested for the ticket to play in
the final of the Championship which ends on
Sunday. The Kaduna team, smarting from a 3-0
spanking of team Enugu in the quarter-final
match decided yesterday, looked like they
would carry the day as they clearly dominated
play all through the first half. Port Harcourt did well to curtail the many
incursions into their vital areas despite having
to play in their own half all the period. The pendulum however, appeared to have
swung in favour of team Port Harcourt as they
resumed the second half with more decisive
and coordinated play, turning the heat on their
opponent whom they had pegged back to their
own half. Their efforts finally paid off when Olu Gabriel
put them ahead in the ninth minute into the
second half. He however, was booked for
removing his shirt while celebrating. This goal obviously prompted a reaction from
the Kaduna team who equalized in the 15th
minute through Aliu Isa. The team however,
suffered a blow when Chima Kalu was shown a
straight red card for leaving the pitch to
change his boots without authorization from the referee. In the second semi-final match decided
between Lagos and Ibadan, it was Ibadan who
showed more hunger to play in the finals.
Ibadan converted 5 times to Lagos’s 4 after a
one all draw during regulation time ensured the
teams settled for penalties. Lagos had gone ahead in the 34th minute after goal keeper
Ridwan Adeleke of Ibadan failed to parry over a
shot from Ibrahim Idris. The joy of team Lagos
was shortlived as Ajuwon Idris drew the leveller
just a minute later 12 male and female teams totalling 192 players
drawn from six zones across the nation are
featuring in the three-day Championship which
began on Friday. The teams qualified for the three-day
championship after featuring in the zonal
championship phase where they had to see off
strong competition for the national finals
tickets from other equally good teams in their
zones. They include Kaduna, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Lagos, all of which have
been featuring both in the male and female
categories. Tournament partners, Youth Sports Federation
of Nigeria (YSFON) and the Nigeria Football
Coaches Association (NFCA) form an
independent team of assessors including
grassroots coaches to oversee technical
concerns during the championship. The Airtel Rising Stars U-17 Tourney, in its
third year running, is a pan African initiative of
Airtel Africa, designed to provide support for
the development of football talents across
African markets.
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