Patson Daka of Zambia has been handed the Total Man of the Match award ahead Nigeria’s U-23 team captain Kelechi Nwakali, reports OwoSports.com.
The Olympic Eagles beat their Zambian counterpart 3⃣-1⃣ to hand its semi final quest in the AFCON U-23 Tourney a huge boost
After the game, Daka who gave Zambia the lead after 12 minutes was named Man Of The Match despite losing with his team while Nwakali who scored a beautiful free-kick that wronged Zambia’s goalkeeper Mangani Banda was overlooked.
Recall in the game between South Africa and Ivory Coast, which the former won 1⃣-0⃣,Teboho Mokoena got the man of the match accolade following his fine performance.
A cracker of a free kick taken by Mokoena in the 79th minute was enough to give South Africa the desired result.
Meanwhile, according to Wikipedia, in team sports, a man of the match award is often given to the outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winning team.
This explains why fans have termed the choice of Daka for the award as a big joke.