Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress secured a thrilling 71-67 victory over Uganda on Friday, advancing to the final of the FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket 2024.

The closely contested semifinal took place at Pretoria University in South Africa.

With this win, Nigeria also earned a spot in the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2025 in Czechia, alongside Mali, who dominated Cameroon with a 103-45 win in the other semifinal earlier that day.

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Despite Uganda defeating Nigeria in the Group Phase, the Nigerians turned the tables in this semifinal, claiming sweet revenge.

Nigeria, who last won silver in 2010, had only won one Group Phase game, a resounding 107-30 victory over Zimbabwe.

However, they managed to advance as one of the two best third-place finishers and made the most of their second chance.

In the quarterfinals, Nigeria faced Egypt, a team they lost to 72-60 in the group stage. However, the West Africans bounced back, defeating the Pharaohs 66-51 to secure their semifinal berth.

While Nigeria, led by coach Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu, fought hard to overcome Uganda, coach Omondi of Uganda was focused on earning a spot on the podium for the first time in the tournament’s history.

Nigeria entered the match with a statistical edge, thanks to standout offensive contributions from Idubamo Beggi and Abigail Isaac.

Uganda responded with notable performances from Resty Nanangwe, Modesta Anyango, and Mia Belinda.

In the final on Saturday (tomorrow), Nigeria will take on Mali, seeking to redeem their men’s team’s previous quarterfinal loss to the same West African rival.

Iconic Portuguese striker, Cristiano Ronaldo has hit a billion followers on his social media accounts.

He took to his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, on Thursday night to make the revelation.

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He expressed gratitude to his followers and assured that “The best is yet to come”.

He also expressed optimism andhunger for more wins in his illustrious career.

Ronaldo wrote, “We’ve made history — 1 BILLION followers! This is more than just a number – it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond.

“From the streets of Madeira to the biggest stages in the world, I’ve always played for my family and for you, and now 1 billion of us stand together.

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey, and together, we’ve shown that there are no limits to what we can achieve.

“Thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life. The best is yet to come, and we’ll keep pushing, winning, and making history together.”

Augustine Eguavoen, the interim coach of the Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, has announced his resignation from the position.

Eguavoen made the announcement after the team’s 0-0 draw against Rwanda in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday.

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The Nigerian tactician revealed that his mandate was to oversee the team’s matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda, and with that accomplished, his task has ended.

However, Eguavoen has offered to provide tactical advice to the next coach on how to overcome Libya, the team’s next opponent.

The Super Eagles’ performance under Eguavoen has been mixed, with a convincing 3-0 win against Benin Republic followed by a disappointing draw against Rwanda.

Eguavoen made a single change to the starting lineup for the Rwanda match, with Fisayo Dele-Basiru replacing Alex Iwobi.

He said, “I have been given a mandate to handle two games. I will want to say I am very pleased with the boys and again, thanks to the NFF leadership and all the boys who supported me in terms of discipline and working hard.

“It ends today, which is the two games mandate. I can’t talk about Libya, because I haven’t been told but I can talk about it a little bit in case we have another coach, we can talk about it.

“I want to be closer to the team as it should be and I can give inside story and inside information that we need to be able to overcome Libya. No team is a pushover anymore but with this spirit that these boys have exhibited and from what I have seen, we have a very bright future”

Recall that Eguavoen’s appointment asl interim coach was announced by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on August 30, 2024, after the federation’s inability to secure the services of German coach Bruno Labbadia due to stringent German tax laws.