Sports
U.S. U23s lose to Honduras, fail to qualify for Tokyo Olympics
(Reuters) – Honduras punched their ticket to the men’s soccer competition at this year’s Tokyo Games with a 2-1 semi-final victory over the United States at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sunday.
Los Catrachos, who finished fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics after falling to hosts Brazil in the semi-finals, went ahead on goals by American-born Honduran Juan Carlos Obregon and Luis Palma before the U.S. pulled one back in the 52nd minute.
Honduras, who have qualified for four consecutive Olympics, opened the scoring in the final seconds of first-half stoppage time when Obregon bundled the ball home after Denil Maldonado headed it across the face of the goal.
Disaster struck for the Americans in the 47th minute when goalkeeper David Ochoa got caught in possession and his pass was swiftly blocked by Palma and bounced straight into the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
The United States, who have not qualified for the Olympics since the 2008 Beijing Games, got on the board when Jackson Yueill rifled in a shot from outside the area.
Honduras, who reached the semi-finals of the eight-team tournament as the top team in Group B, will next face either Mexico or Canada in Tuesday’s final.
Group A winner Mexico and Canada are playing in Sunday’s second semi-final to determine the other team that represents North and Central America and the Caribbean at the July 23-Aug. 8 Tokyo Olympics.
As both semi-final winners qualify for the Olympics, the final qualification match is essentially an exhibition. The eight-team tournament was originally scheduled to be held in March 2020 but was postponed because of COVID-19.
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Immediately after getting drafted, Maluach was asked: “So many people, when they think about Africa, think about strife, think about war, think about not so great things about the continent, let alone South Sudan. How much of a responsibility do you think you have in changing perceptions of what people think Africa is in terms of thinking more about the resources, thinking about the people of Africa and South Sudan, specifically?”
Maluach’s native country, South Sudan, is undergoing a humanitarian crisis. His family fled the country to a suburb of Kampala, Uganda, in search of safety and opportunity during the South Sudan crisis. He now hopes to change the narrative about the region by highlighting its good parts on the world stage.
“I think about showing them the good parts of Africa,” Maluach said at the press conference after he was drafted. “I’m thinking about showing them the great places in Africa, like Kigali, whether it’s Senegal, whether it’s the safaris in Africa, and showing them the cultures we have and the people we have, which is different from the stuff they see on TV. I just want to change the narrative, the narrative of our people and how they see my continent.”
Maluach was born in Rumbek, once an important city in South Sudan that was ravaged by the country’s civil war. The 7’2″ center’s road to success was far from easy. The nearest basketball court to his house was nearly an hour’s walk away and usually packed. Moreover, he played his first game in Crocs, not basketball shoes. But his dedication was enough to catch the eye of local coaches Wal Deng and Aketch Garang.
Through the effort that he put in, Maluach made it to the NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, then to the Duke Blue Devils, and now the Suns. He hopes the moment inspires kids on the continent.
“Living in Africa, I had the whole continent on my back. Giving hope to young kids,” he said after the Suns selected him No. 10 overall.
Maluach considers basketball a gift God gave him, and hopes to finish off his NBA career as a Hall of Famer.
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Nigeria’s women’s under-19 cricket team, the Junior Yellow Greens , made history by qualifying for the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which is being held in Malaysia . The Junior Yellow Greens’ qualification made it the first female cricket team from Nigeria and West Africa as a whole to qualify for a World Cup.
The team’s outstanding performance in the regional qualifiers won them a spot. Despite a rain-soaked final match, they beat Zimbabwe on points earned during the group stages.
With this victory, Nigeria secured their place in Malaysia and made their second-ever appearance in a cricket World Cup. The male U-19 team competed in the 2020 edition in South Africa.
Victory Igbinedion, Naomi Memeh, Anointed Akhigbe, Amusa Kehinde, Omosigho Eguakun, Umoh Inyene, Beauty Oguai, Jessica Bieni, Usen Peace, Adeshola Adekunle, Deborah Bassey, Christabel Chukwuonye, Peculiar Agboya, Lilian Ude, and Lucky Piety are among the 15 players on the female team.
They now hope to make it to the semi-finals.
Brila reports that despite Nigeria’s 41-run (DLS method) loss to South Africa on Wednesday, their thrilling two-run victory over New Zealand earlier in the tournament and a shared point with Samoa guaranteed them a place as the second-best team in Group C.
The team will now face England on January 25 and Ireland on January 29, as they continue their quest for a historic semi-final appearance.
The 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which runs from January 18 to February 2, started with 16 teams exhibiting some of the best young talents in women’s cricket .
This year’s tournament, the second edition of this worldwide event, features the top four teams from 2023—India, England, Australia, and New Zealand—along with four debutants: hosts Malaysia, Nepal, Samoa, and Nigeria.
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In a bittersweet first half, Nigeria took the lead in stoppage time through Ademola Lookman and went into the break on top. Benítez’s side improved in the second half, but it was not enough. Nigeria stepped on the gas in the final half and Victor Osimhen made it 2-0 in the 78th minute before Ademola Lookman doubled the advantage in the 83rd minute. Nothing else happened in the match and Nigeria ran out 3-0 winners in the first match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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