Nigeria rallied from a two-set deficit to snatch a dramatic victory over Cameroon in the opening game of the 2021 U19 African Nations Volleyball Championship in Abuja on Thursday.

The hosts trailed 2-0 to the Cameroonians who edged the opening two sets but rallied to take the final three sets in a climactic ending to record a 3-2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-14, 15-19) victory.

Head Coach of the U19 side Sani Mohammed praised his players’ fighting spirit, adding that he never lost hope in the ability of the defending champions to turn the game around even after they lost the first two sets.

“Nigeria U19 Boys are the defending champion of the Championship. For the first two sets, we could not find our rhythm but the boys picked the third, fourth and fifth set

“These boys have shown hard work, dedication and discipline during the remaining sets.”

He promised that his side will improve in their next match against the Gambia on Saturday and spare fans another rollercoaster.

“We have two matches against Gambia and Morocco. Nigerians should expect beautiful play against the Gambia on Saturday because we do not want the fans to be under pressure.”