Falcons Beat Haiti 2-1 to Sustains Winning Mentality

Two goals, one in each half, steered nine-time African champions Nigeria past Haiti’s senior women national team in an international friendly in Antalya, Turkey yesterday.

Returnee markswoman, Asisat Oshoala had already seen her simple tap-in disallowed in the 22nd minute, and fellow Spain-based forward Rasheedat Ajibade has seen her shot miss by the whiskers, before Esther Okoronkwo caught the Haitian defence completely off-guard with a free-kick from the right that slipped past the goalkeeper in the 40th minute.

Haiti, who are also heading to the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand this summer, came back from the dressing room looking to take the fight to the Super Falcons, but goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, Tosin Demehin and captain Onome Ebi warded off their incursions.

Two minutes before the hour-mark, Oshoala jabbed in from close range to make it two for the Falcons, in the process registering her first goal for the team since scoring in a Turkish Women’s Tournament defeat of Equatorial Guinea two years ago.    

A defensive mix-up accounted for the Haitians pulling one back in the 75th minute, but there was no stopping the Super Falcons who have now won their last two matches, going back to the defeat of World Cup-bound Costa Rica in Mexico in February.

Next up for the African heavyweights is a clash with World Cup co-hosts New Zealand also in Antalya on Tuesday evening.