Sand Eagles Fall 6-4 To Senegal In Kaduna Thriller
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH
NIGERIA’S Sand Eagles fell 6-4 to reigning African champions Senegal in a thrilling international beach soccer friendly in Kaduna on Saturday.
The Sand Eagles produced a spirited display at the Murtala Muhammed Square Beach Soccer Pitch. However, Senegal eventually held on to claim victory in the high-scoring contest.
Senegal struck first through Laye Diagne. Nigeria responded quickly, with Abdullahi Hassan restoring parity.
Mamadou Sylla then became the major difference between the sides. The Senegal forward scored a hat-trick as the champions punished openings in Nigeria’s defence.
Ninou Jean-Paul Diatta and Asane Ba also scored for Senegal as the visitors built their six-goal tally.
Hassan, however, kept Nigeria in the contest. The forward scored all four of the Sand Eagles’ goals and earned the Man of the Match award after an impressive individual performance.
Despite the defeat, Nigeria matched Senegal for long periods and showed enough quality to remain competitive against the African champions.
The Sand Eagles will now have a quick chance to respond when both teams meet again at the same Kaduna venue on Monday morning.
The second friendly will provide another test for Nigeria as preparations continue for their CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Ghana later this month.
Senegal, meanwhile, are using the two matches to prepare for the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations. The defending champions already have their place at the tournament secured as hosts.
