Sports News of Tuesday, 19 December 2023

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Year in Review: Unforgettable moments that dominated Nigerian sports in 2023

The year 2023 was littered with great sporting moments as far as Nigerian sports is concern.

From Victor Osimhen's historic season with Napoli to the Super Falcons outing at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, mynigeria.com in this article will look at some of the most talked about sports stories in 2023.

< Victor Osimhen wins Scudetto with Napoli

Victor Osimhen's remarkable campaign with Napoli was undoubtedly one of the sports stories which dominated the headlines in 2023.

The Nigerian striker made history with Napoli after guiding the Naples-based club to its first Scudetto title in 33 years.

The 24-year-old netted 26 goals in 31 league appearances to help Luciano Spalletti's men lift the title at the end of the 2022/2023 Serie A campaign.

He also became the first African star to win the Capocannoniere award and was voted the Best Serie A striker at the end of the season.

Nigeria dominate CAF Awards

Nigeria's dominance at the recently held CAF Awards in Marrakech was one of the biggest events of the calendar year.

Nigeria made history as the first country to win the male and female footballer of the year awards.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen was crowned the Best Male Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Nigerian to win the award since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.

Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala was voted the Best Footballer of the Year in the female category, winning the honors for a record 6th time having previously won in 2022.

Super Falcons and PSG shot-stopper Nnadozie was also voted the Best Women's Goalkeeper of the Year. To cap it all, the Super Falcons were adjudge the Best Women's National Team of the year in what was a remarkable night for Nigerian football.

Super Falcons outing at the Women's World Cup

The Falcons appearance at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was one of the attention-grabbing moments of the year as football-loving fans of Nigeria rallied behind the team in Australia and New Zealand.

Paired in the so-called group of death with co-host Australia, Canada and Republic of Ireland, the Super Falcons qualified from the group after goalless draw in games against Olympic champions Canada and Republic of Ireland and a surprise win over co-host Australia.

The Super Falcons however crashed out in the round of 16 after losing 4-2 in the shootout against tournament finalist England.

Oshoala's shirtless goal celebration

The Super Falcons striker set social media into a frenzy with her goal and iconic off-the-shirt celebration after scoring what proved to be the winner in Nigeria's 3-2 victory over Australia in their second group stage encounter at the World Cup.

The Barcelona striker's celebration caused divided opinions on social media. The player admitted that her dad was unhappy with her choice of jubilation.