Lawal, Daniel in CAF U-23 Championship team 'As Gabon clinches U-23 competition

TWO Nigeria's Dream Team players, Raheem Lawal and Uchechi Chima Daniel were among the players picked as the best players of the just concluded CAF U-23 Championship held in Morocco.The tournament which ran from 26th November to December 10th had eight teams participating. Raheem, who scored a hat-trick in Nigeria's last game against Algeria, was listed among the best eleven and Uchechi Daniel was in the Substitutes.Although Nigeria's Dream Team failed to qualified from the group stage, Raheem and Daniel's performance did not fail to be noticed by the organiser.The competition also served as the Olympic qualifier with the top three finishers earning automatic tickets to London 2012 finals and fourth placed team going to face an Asian side in a play-off.Meanwhile, Gabon has won their first ever continental title, with a 2-1 victory over Morocco in the final of the African U-23 Championship.Both teams have already qualified for the Olympic Games, so Saturday's match was all about the U-23 crown.All the goals came in the first half and the match became increasingly bad tempered as Gabon wasted time later on.The victory will be a major boost to Gabon, who co-hosts the Africa Cup of Nations in January next year.Each side had a man sent off, although Gabon's red card was in stoppage time at the end of the game.Morocco opened the scoring on 22 minutes when Younes Mokhtar fired home an angled shot into the bottom right hand corner of the Gabonese goal.15 minutes later Gabon, who have surprised many with their achievements here, were level thanks to a powerful strike into the roof of the net from Landri Obiang Obiang.And just before the break, Allen Nono headed home a free-kick to put the underdogs in front and silence the viciferous home crowd, who had finally turned out in numbers.The second-half was a much more niggly affair, and Morocco's cause was badly damaged when their goalkeeper, Younes El Kharroubi, was sent off for a challenge on Nono outside the area.Gabon had chances to extend their lead after that but could not find another way through - instead they had Didier Ndong sent off late on.
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