A former player in Nigeria’s women’s national team, Chinasa Mandy Ukandu has praised the standard that was seen on display during the female contest of this year’s Addbrand Youth Cup at Abalti Barracks near Ojuelegba, Lagos.
Sports247 was there live, as eight female teams took to one half of the unkempt astro-turf pitch of the arena now known as Femi Gbajabiamila Mini-stadium and the games that unfolded across 20 minutes each turned out to be turbo-charged.
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All the performances drew accolades from Ukandu, who served a dual role as head of organisation and match commissioner for the two-in-one competition, which had under-13 boys slugging it out on the other half of the pitch in equally enchanting seven-a-side games.
Although Ukandu admitted that she was glad to see CATS Ladies, the team she works with as head coach, eventually clinch the glittering trophy at stake, she noted that the conquest did not come on a platter of gold.
“The competition was so intense that CATS Ladies needed penalty shoot-out to win both the semi-final and final. That’s because all the eight teams that competed gave very good accounts of themselves,” Ukandu pointed out.
Sports247 noted that Phoenix Ladies lost the final 3-1 on penalties after forcing a goalless end to regulation time with ‘the organisers team,’ but their coach, Shina Sheriff took consolation from the fact that they won the first edition and placed second last year.
“We are runners-up for the second straight edition. So, we were not disgraced. We have a quarter-finals match against them this week at another competition, and I am sure we will beat them then,” said Coach Sheriff
