Teams Lagos and Niger States earned opening day victories on Day 1 of the Handball event at the National Sports Festival 2025 ongoing in Ogun State tagged Gateway Games 2025.
Team Niger, despite the turnovers and missed chances, defeated a well-drilled Team Kano 25-24 in a pulsating match in the men’s category at the Alake Sports Centre.
For Team Lagos, they met a brick wall in Team Sokoto but also won 25-24.
Team Edo earned a 10-0 victory and the maximum points after they walked over Team Enugu, who arrived late for the match.
Before the commencement of the day’s matches, the teams observed a minute of silence for the late Coach Sylvanus Audu of Kano State. The late Coach Audu, who was also known as Coach Kura, died last Tuesday following a brief illness.
Meanwhile, in the football event, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) male football team defeated Borno State 4-1 on Monday, while Team Kano defeated Kwara United 2-1.
Team Lagos earned a 3-0 walkover victory after Team Ondo failed to honour their game.
Team Ebonyi also claimed a 2-1 victory over hosts Ogun in another thrilling encounter.
