The Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday recorded emphatic victories in their last group matches to book their place in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Maritime Cup 2023.
In the last Group D matches played at the NPA Sports Ground, Surulere, Lagos yesterday, the Nigeria Customs Service defeated new entrants Trucks Transit Parks (TTP) 3-0 to qualify for the quarterfinals. The Customs team finished on top of Group D with the maximum nine points and a goal difference of +9.
Nigerian Navy’s Admiralty FC, on the other hand, defeated stevedoring company Blueche Lomado 5-1 to book a quarterfinal ticket. With the victory, Navy ended in the second place in Group D with seven points and a goal difference of +11.
So far, group matches have been concluded in Groups A, C and D while the last group match, which is between Group B rivals Josepdam Ports Services (JPS) and National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) will be played at 9am today.
Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Customs Service join Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), APM Terminals Apapa and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) who had earlier qualified for the quarterfinals of the high-stake tournament.
In the quarterfinal matches scheduled to be played on Monday, Group A leader Nigerian Ports Authority will trade tackles with Group B runner up which will be either Josepdam Ports Services or NIWA depending on the outcome of today’s match, while Group B leader NAGAFF will battle Group A runner up Nigerian Shippers Council.
Also on Monday, Group C winner NIMASA will confront Group D runner up Nigerian Navy while Group D winner Nigeria Customs will take on APM Terminals Apapa for a place in the semi-finals.
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