AWCON
Super Falcons countenance better outing against Canada in Victoria City
Nine –time African champions, Super Falcons are confident of a better outing against Olympic Champions Canada when both teams square up in the second of their two-match bouquet in the North American country on Monday.
Two second goals by Jessie Fleming (50th minute) and Vanessa Gilles (72nd minute) earned the world’s sixth –ranked team victory over the African champions in their first encounter in Vancouver on Friday (Saturday morning in Nigeria). However, Coach Randy Waldrum prosecuted that game with only 14 outfield players, most of whom arrived on the eve of the match due to late issuance of visa from their respective bases.
They held on tenaciously in the first 45 minutes but fatigue and injuries saw goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defender and skipper Onome Ebi and forward Uchenna Kanu stretchered off at different times during the game. Midfielder Rita Chikwelu also had to be substituted.
However, Nigeria would be able to offer greater tenacity in Monday night’s duel as injured players would have recovered, there would have been more training sessions for greater bonding and understanding, and there is the added impetus offered by the arrival of barnstorming forward Francisca Ordega in Canada on Sunday.
In the first match, Waldrum had started with goalkeeper Nnadozie, defenders Onome Ebi, Nicole Payne, Ashleigh Plumptre and Akudo Ogbonna, midfielders Rita Chikwelu, Toni Payne and Rasheedat Ajibade, and forwards Uchenna Kanu, Christy Ucheibe and Ifeanyi Onumonu.
Onumonu scored the two goals that took the fight out of Cote d’Ivoire’s Lady Elephants in the first leg of their Women AFCON 2022 final round fixture in Abuja on 18th February, and was quite active in the return leg in Abidjan, where Esther Okoronkwo’s late goal made it a 3-0 aggregate win for Nigeria.
Monday’s encounter will take place at the Starlight Stadium, and will commence at 7.30pm Canada time (3.30am Tuesday in Nigeria).
The two-match tour is part of the NFF’s general plan to prepare the Falcons adequately for the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals taking place in Morocco 2nd – 23rd July this year, at which Africa’s four flag-bearers at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia/New Zealand will emerge.
Democratic Republic of Congo side, TP Mazembe are officially the champions of the CAF Women’s Champions League Morocco 2024.
A highly tactical and hard fought 1-0 victory in the final played in El Jadida’s Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi against former champions and hosts, AS FAR saw the DR Congo side crowned the new champions of Africa for the first time – wiping away tears of their 2022 group stage exit.
With the crowd backing the hosts, Mazembe showed great resilience and courage in taking the match to the former champions who remain in search for what has been an elusive second title for them.
The deciding goal of the fourth edition of the tournament came courtesy of a converted spot kick by Marlene Kasaj in the opening 10 minutes, which Mazembe protected throughout the match to seal the historic victory.
Despite the early concession, AS FAR kept believing and surged forward in search of the leveller, but a resolute Mazembe defense kept the clean sheet throughout the opening half.
Coming back from the break, it was surprisingly Mazembe who looked more dangerous as they came out strong in an attempt to kill off the game.
The hosts eventually found their rhythm but again were met by a disciplined Mazembe defense, who kept the former champions at bay to secure Africa’s most sought-after women’s club football crown.
In addition to the coveted CAF Women’s Champions League trophy, TP Mazembe also take home $600 000 in prize money, while runners-up AS FAR take home $400 000.
-CAF
BY JOSEPH ODOEKWU
The National Chairman of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) Samuel Ikpea has tipped the Super Falcons of Nigeria to claim their 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations title in Morocco when they begin their campaign next year.
Ikpea’ remarks came after the Friday night draw that put Algeria, Tunisia and Botswana in the same group with the Super Falcons.
“Our girls are going to play in a group with two North African countries (Tunisia and Algeria). “It is going to be interesting, and I am optimistic that our girls will scale from our group”.
Nigeria will tackle two North African teams – Tunisia and Algeria – as well as Botswana, in Group B of the 13th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals taking place in Morocco next summer.
The Falcons will surely relish another meeting with Algeria’s Green Ladies, whom they defeated 2-0 and 4-1 respectively in two friendly matches in Nigeria last month.
Botswana eliminated Gabon in the qualifying series and Tunisia were the quarter-finalists at the last edition also hosted by Morocco.
At the draw conducted on Friday evening at the Technical Centre of the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Sale, outside Rabat, host nation Morocco, earlier slotted into Group A, learnt they will have to cope with Zambia, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cup holders South Africa are in Group C and will square up to Ghana, Mali and Tanzania in the three-week, 12-nation final tournament taking place 5th – 26th July 2025.
Hosts Morocco finished as runners-up in the last edition in July 2022, with Zambia taking the bronze after a 1-0 defeat of Nigeria in the third-place match.
GROUP A: Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, DR Congo
GROUP B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Botswana
GROUP C: South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania
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