Team Nigeria lost to Brazil in their historic opening match at the Red Bull Beach Arena of the ongoing World Beach Volleyball Championship in Hamburg, Germany.
Brazil duo, Maria Antonelli and Carolina Solberg beat 39th-seeded Francisca Ikhiede/Tochukwu Nnoruga of Nigeria 2-0 (21-11, 21-17) in 23 minutes.
Francisca Ikhiede said they are proud playing against one of the best team in the World.
Ikhiede hailed the federation and country for allowing them register their presence at their maiden Beach Volleyball World Championship.
She said, “We felt so proud and delighted just to be playing against them.
“We are very excited to be here because it was a challenge for us. We hope that this level of competition and this experience push us further”.
“We are very thankful that our country allowed us to be here, but it cannot be a one-time thing. We need to be exposed to different weathers, to different opponents and to different environments and that’s the only way we’ll get better.”
Ikhiede and Nnoruga gave Nigeria a significant step forward this year when it qualified for the first time to compete at the World Championships.
The players booked its place in Hamburg with a fourth-place finish at the African Nations Beach Volleyball Cup in Abuja.
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