Nigeria beat England 3-2 to reach table tennis final at Commonwealth games
- Bode Abiodun put up an impressive performance to send Nigeria to the final of the table tennis events of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia
- Nigeria will face India in the final of the game later this evening after beating the English contingent 3-2 on Sunday, April 8
- India also reached the final following their 3-2 win over Singapore in the first semifinal of the games
Nigeria are through to the final of the men’s table tennis events at the 2018 Commonwealth games in Australia after beating England 3-2 in the semifinal clash on Sunday, April 8.
Africa’s number two man Aruna Quadri was on the bench all through the game which Bode Abiodun was the hero for the west African counter over their English counterpart.
Paul Drinkhall got England to a fine start after beating Africa’s number five ranked player Segun Toriola in the first game, but the Nigerian number two man came back to win the second and the third games respectively.
READ ALSO: Antoine Griezmann denies Barcelona summer transfer move
However, Drinkhall returned to winning ways in the first set after claiming the fourth and fifth games to win the first set.
Both players continued to grow in confidence as the game progresses, but the English player had a upper hand until Toriola called for a break – a decision that boosted his confidence to win the next couple of points.
Meanwhile, the English team suffered great set back as Liam Pitchford, who had an excellent performance at the 2018 Team World Cup in London, got spanked by Bode Abiodun.
PAY ATTENTION: Become a member of the leading sports Facebook group 'Naija Football Fan Zone'
Liam returned to winning ways in the fourth set after winning four out of five games, but Abiodun showed the quality he was made off after beating Sam Walker to send Nigeria to the final of the events.
And they will face India, who also reached the final by beating Singapore 3-2 for a chance to win their first medal in the games in Australia.
Nigeria reached the semifinal stage after beating host country, Australia, 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the events earlier in the events.
1st set: 14-12, 9-11, 7-11, 11-13, 11-7
2nd set: 8-11, 9-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-5
3rd set: 2-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-6
4th set: 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 9.11, 11-6
5th set: 8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8
16-year-old American-born Nigerian tennis player is proud of her roots - onn Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
