ABUJA – Katsina state’s para-soccer team on Thursday in Abuja knocked out defending champions Kano 6-5 in the semi-finals of this year’s national para-soccer tournament.
The tournament, which is the second edition of the World Polio Day National Para-soccer Tournament, is holding at the Abuja National Stadium.
In the match, the defending champions took control of the game through Mulilu Alhassan’s brace in the 11th and 25th minutes.
But Katsina halved the deficit through Munir Umar who pulled a goal back in the 29th minute.
With Kano holding the advantage after returning for the second half with a 2-1 advantage, Ibrahim Hassan went on to extend their lead with a hat-trick.
The goals were scored in the 35th, 39th and 43rd minutes respectively to give his side a 5-1 lead.
But the game took a dramatic turn as Katsina shocked the defending champions with five unreplied goals to turn the game on its head and earn a 6-5 win.
The scorers were Mohammed Hassan, Umar Idris and Sani Garba who also scored a hat-trick.
In the second semi-final match played earlier in the day, Borno also advanced to the final stage after edging out their Osun counterparts 1-0.
NAN reports that Katsina and Borno will now meet in the final of the tournament, while Kano will face Osun in the third-place match.
A total of nine teams registered for this year’s edition of the tournament which began on Oct. 19.
The teams are Kano State, Anambra, Osun, Sokoto State, Nasarawa State, Borno, Zamfara, Katsina State and Niger.(NAN)
