Nigeria settled for Silver at the 2019 Cup of African Nations for Amputee Football (CANAF) after a 2-0 loss to hosts and world champions Angola in the final on Friday.
Angola had forced the Special Eagles to a 2-2 draw when both sides clashed in the group stage but with the trophy at stake and overwhelming support from the stands, the hosts put in a display worthy of world champions to clinch a maiden title and leave Nigeria still in search of a first triumph in the competition.
Not that second place is anything to be sniffed at for Nigeria’s amputee football team considering the obstacles they’d had to overcome just to be able to participate in the competition.
For a team and a federation that have had funding problems since their inception and had been forced to miss previous CANAFs since 2013, earning
Perhaps, with their showing in Angola, the team and the Nigeria Amputee Football Federation (NAFF) can finally attract the level of following and funding they deserve.
Nigeria’s run to the final of the competition started with a 1-0 win over defending champions Liberia, followed by a 2-1 win over Cameroon. The Special Eagles then played out a goalless draw with Tanzania before returning to winning ways in a 1-0 defeat of Sierra Leone.
Following a 2-2 draw with hosts Angola, the Special Eagles beat Tanzania 3-2 in the semifinal to book a date with hosts and eventual champions Angola.
Kelvin Kingsley finished as Nigeria’s top scorer with four goals with Ezeji Kennedy chipping in with three strikes.
The team is expected back in the country in the coming days.
