Bulgaria defeated Nigeria’s under-24 male handball team in the fourth International Handball Federation (IHF) Emerging Nations Championship.
The handball game took place at the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria on Wednesday.
At the end of the keenly contested encounter, the hosts defeated their Nigerian visitors 23-19 to earn a total of two victories so far in the tournament.
Nigeria was able to keep the game close and apply some pressure on Bulgaria after the hosts trounced them 11-13 in the first half.
To maintain their lead in the group, the European handball team defeated coach Solomon Yola’s Nigerian side by four points, after demonstrating a better desire to win.
Before beating the Nigerian side, the Bulgarian side had defeated Azerbaijan to start the tournament on a high.
As it stands, Nigeria’s participation in the competition’s knockout rounds will depend on the outcome of their matchup with Azerbaijan on Thursday.
Meanwhile, with the two victories, Bulgaria have already qualified for the semifinals of the competition, where they will face the second group’s top team, Cuba.
The current round of the competition, which is featuring a total of 12 teams across the world is divided into four groups. The tournament is set to end on Sunday.
