Super Falcons Qualify for Ninth FIFA Wold Cup with Victory over Cameroon
*Buhari salutes the nine-time African champions, urges them to go for cup in Australia
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Rasheedat Ajibade qualified Nigeria’s Super Falcons for the semi final of the ongoing 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as well as a place in the FIFA World Cup slated to hold next year in Australia and New Zealand.
The Atletico Madrid Ladies forward fired a second half winner against Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses in Casablanca, Morocco to ensure that Nigeria extends her participation in the women’s Mundial to ninth when they file out Down Under next year.
Interestingly, the victory pits the nine-time African champions against hosts Morocco who had earlier on Wednesday night defeated Botswana 2-1 in one of the semi final clashes.
Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene made a bold run at the Cameroonian defence supported by twists and turns and the ball somehow landed at the feet of gangling Ifeoma Onumonu, who heaved it into the box for Ajibade to nod past Ange Bawu in goal for the Cameroonians for the only goal of the match in the 57th minute.
Nigeria played on the front foot from the first whistle, while the Indomitable Lionesses were happy to sit back and soak the pressure.
The Falcons created the better chances and were rewarded with Ajibade’s winner.
This caused Cameroon to come out of their shell in a desperate chase for an equaliser to make the closing minutes a nervous one for the Falcons.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Super Falcons for qualifying for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after their quarter-final victory against Cameroon.
The President, in a release issued by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, lauded the spirited performance of the Super Falcons in the tournament and for maintaining their dominant posture as undisputed champions of the round-leather game and most successful international women’s football team in the continent.
Having won the tournament twice in 2016 and 2018, under this administration, the President assured the girls and their handlers that the whole nation is strongly standing with them and will continue to cheer them on until the final whistle in Morocco.
He prayed that the Super Falcons, who have produced some of the greatest African players in the history of the women’s game, will surpass their achievement in the last Women’s World Cup in 2019, where they advanced to the Round of 16, for the first time in 15 years.
President Buhari also looks forward to the next generation of upcoming stars, who through hard work, discipline, resilience and determination, will one day win the World Cup for Nigeria.
