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In football, the Nigerian national Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets, put smiles on the faces of Nigerians after beating the Young Stallions of Burkina Faso 1-0 in the semi-finals of the ongoing WAFU U-17 tournament in Togo, on Friday, January 15, 2021. The result meant that Nigeria did not only book their place in the final of the competition scheduled to hold today, Monday, January 18, but equally qualified for the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to hold in Morocco later this year. The matchday 5 clashes of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) saw football enthusiasts in the country witnessing some interesting moments. The biggest match of the weekend saw eight-time league champions, Enyimba FC, beat four-time league champions, Kano Pillars 2-1 at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba on Sunday, January 17, 2021. A 22nd-minute strike from Anayo Iwuala would put the Peoples Elephant ahead before a 38th-minute effort from Gabriel Orok made it 2-0. Pillars would try to fight back with a Fahad Usman 86th minute strike but it would just prove to be a consolation as the Sai Masu Gida settled for a loss.
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Rivers United ended the week on a bright note after beating Heartland FC of Owerri 3-1 in Port Harcourt on Sunday to remain top of the league. See Full NPFL Results Below:
- Nasarawa Utd 1-0 Katsina Utd
- Plateau Utd 3-0 Adamawa Utd
- Enyimba 2-1 Kano Pillars
- Rivers Utd 3-1 Heartland
- Jigawa GS 0-0 Kwara United
- FC Ifeanyiubah 1-1 Abia Warriors
- MFM 1-1 Enugu Rangers
- Lobi Stars 2-1 Dakkada FC
- Sunshine Stars 1-0 Wolves
“irregularities and discoveries made during the one-week postponement of the Week 5 matches to allow clubs carry out COVID-19 tests for all their players and officials led to the decision.”Super Falcons striker, Rasheedat Ajibade, on Sunday, January 17, won her first trophy with Spanish league side, Atletico Madrid Femenino. Ajibade who recently joined the Spanish side came on as a second-half substitute as her club beat Levante 3-0 to clinch the Spanish Supercopa title. In athletics, Nigerian jumper, Ruth Usoro, made history at the Texas Tech Corky Classic after landing a 14.28m distance in the triple jump to beat the ten-year-old record of 13.76m set by Nkeiruka Domike. Usoro’s feat set a new National Record as she presently holds the record for the best indoor Triple jump distance in the world so far in 2021. Nigerian basketball stars have continued to impress in the National Basketball Association. However, the peak of the highlights last week came on Tuesday, January 12, after Miami Heat rookie, Precious Achiuwa, impressed against the Philadelphia 76ers. Achiuwa who was the 20th pick in the NBA Draft garnered 17 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and one block in 36 minutes. Achiuwa’s compatriot, Gabe Vincent was equally impressive as he scored a total of 24 points, 2 rebounds,  and 3 assists in 36 minutes against the 76ers. We look forward to bringing you more Nigerian exploits throughout the world of sports, same time next week. Sources: NWFL Featured Image Source: Enyimba FC – Twitter
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