The national under-21 men’s volleyball team are now to face Cameroon in the third-place match of the ongoing 2022 African U-21 Men’s Volleyball Championship in Tunisia.

The team lost 1-3 (33-35 28-26 17-25 16-25) to Egypt in the competition’s first semi-final match on Saturday in Tunis.

Nigeria led in the early minutes of the first set, 17-11 but suffered several setbacks during the game. Egypt drew level at 23-23 before the game ended 35-33 in their favour after several game points.

Nigeria came in stronger in the second set and eventually won 28-26 points, but Egypt went on to win the third and fourth sets 25-17 and 25-16 points.

In the second semi-final match, Tunisia defeated Cameroon in three straight sets (25-21, 25-19, 25-19).

Head coach of the Nigerian team, Sani Mohammed, later said his team deserved to win the match against Egypt. He said the next assignment for his side would be to beat Cameroon.

“The federation has invested heavily in the team, and the only way the team can show appreciation is by winning the bronze medal match,” Mohammed said.

The team won two matches in the stage group, defeating Morocco 3-0 in their first match and beating Gambia 3-0 in their second match. They lost in the third match against hosts Tunisia 0-3 and defeated Libya in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Three teams will represent the continent in the 2023 Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) World Cup Championship.

(NAN)