Sports Groove

...As Black Maidens of Ghana earn late draw in Dakar  ...Kenya shock South Africa, Zambia beat Ethiopia  By Maxwell Kumoye   Nigeria's Flamingos produced a spirited display to defeat neighbours Benin Republic 3-2 in a pulsating first-leg encounter of the third round of the CAF qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, while Ghana's Black Maidens rescued a dramatic late 1-1 draw away to Senegal. The Nigerian girls overcame an early setback to secure a crucial first-leg advantage ahead of the return fixture, with Kindness Ifeanyi emerging the hero after heading home the decisive goal. Benin stunned the hosts in the 14th minute when Romaine Gandonou fired the visitors into the lead.  However, the Flamingos responded positively, with Queen Joseph restoring parity in the 25th minute to ensure both teams went into the break level. Nigeria returned for the second half with renewed purpose and took the lead through Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, whose strike in the 62nd minu...

By Mishael Emmanuel with additional reports by Olusola Adebayo Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, are intensifying preparations ahead of their crucial FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in September. Head coach Moses Aduku, who recently took charge of the team, has expressed confidence in the squad’s readiness, while captain Joy Igbokwe has also assured fans that the team is mentally and physically prepared.   The Falconets, who received a bye in the first round of qualifiers, will travel to Kigali for the first leg on September 21, 2025, before hosting the return fixture at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on September 27, 2025. Their opponents, Rwanda, advanced to this stage after edging Zimbabwe 2-1 on aggregate in the previous round. Speaking on the team’s preparations, Coach Aduku revealed that the first week of camp was challenging due to the players’ return from the off-season, but significant progress has since been made. “So...