a Nigerian para-soccer team

Kano state’s para-soccer team on Saturday in Abuja defeated their Osun counterparts 5-1 to win the 2015 National Para-Soccer Tournament.

The tournament was organised by the Para-Soccer Federation of Nigeria (PFN) in collaboration with the Association of Polio Survivors of Nigeria (APSN).

In the final match played at the Package B of the National Stadium, Murtala Alhassan of Kano State scored the first goal in the third minute.

Alhassan doubled the tally three minute later, while Ibrahin Ashu scored the third goal of the game in the 25th minute .

Osun players struggled to keep up with the pace, but they could not convert their chances of scoring as the first half wore to an end.

On resumption of the second half, Kano State continued from where they stopped in the first half as they pinned their opponents to their half.

Mohammed Otega scored their fourth goal in the 48th minute, before Suleiman Abubakar reduced the tally for Osun in the 54th minute of the game.

Four minutes later, Rabiu Lawan scored the fifth goal for Kano State to take the match beyond their opponents.

The Osun team fought harder thereafter, but they could not convert their chances as the encounter wore on to end 5-1.

After the match, coach Musa Ibrahim of Kano State said it was delightful for him and his team to win, because they were able to reclaim the title.

“I am happy that we won. It was a tough game and I thank God we came out victorious.

“In the next edition, we will play better to win so as to reclaim our title again,’’ he said.

The coach of Osun, Adebayo Adegbuyi, on his part, said he was not disappointed with his team’s loss.

“This is the first time we are playing in the final match since we started participating in para-soccer. Moreover, we won all our matches till we qualified for the final match.

“In every match of football, there is always a winner and a loser. We are unfortunate that luck was against us this time,’’ he said.

NAN reports that 14 teams took part in this year’s tournament, which started on Monday.

The teams are Kano, Anambra, Osun, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, FCT, Akwa-Ibom, Kwara, Rivers, Gombe and Niger.

NAN recalls that the tournament was organized this year to mark the World Polio Day.