BEFORE the school left Nigeria to Ghana for the 2012 Milo African U-13 Championship, St. Stephen''s Primary School, Lagos, was considered a potential champion, but it finished fourth among the five nations that participated in the tournament.Captain of the Lagos Island-based team, Deji Oshodi, has now blamed the team''s below-par performance on fatigue, which he claimed affected the players during the semi-final tie against South Africa.''I think we tried our best but were just unlucky not to have beaten South Africa in the semi-final match,' the primary six pupil told The Guardian on Wednesday. ''Nevertheless, when we got to the last four of the competition, we were tired because each day, we were taken round Accra by the organisers and this affected us during the match.''Also, my team-mates failed to lift their game and we paid dearly for it.'However, Oshodi was grateful to the management of Nestle Nigeria Plc for the rare opportunity given them to participate in the championship, saying: ''I think being our first time of leaving Nigeria and traveling by air, it was an experience we will cherish in a long time to come.''W never believed it would become reality until we landed in Ghana. Personally, I think the trip has imparted positively on me as I made new friends with students from other nations.'Despite mauling Sierra Leone and Kenya 3-0 and 6-0 respectively during their group matches, the side failed to go beyond the semi-final after losing 4-5 on penalties to South Africa. The defeat affected the players, who went on to lose 5-6 to Sierra Leone in penalties in the third place match.All the same, the Nigerian side did not leave Accra empty-handed as the goalkeeper, Peter Bassey, was named the best goalkeeper of the competition. Ghana won the competition with a 4-0 defeat of South Africa in the final match.The Ghanaians, who had clear size advantage over the other four teams, dominated the competition, scoring 19 goals in four matches while conceding none. Axole Gladile of South Africa was the most valuable player.The competition is designed for only the five African countries where Nestle has major operations to help develop the kids for the future.
Click here to read full news..
