National Teams
CAF Women’s Olympic Qualifiers Match Facts: Nigeria favourite vs Cameroon
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team will battle Cameroon in the first leg of the third round of the Paris 2024 Olympics qualifiers in Douala on Friday,with Randy Waldrum’s side the favourite to get the result over two-legged tie.
The Super Falcons have won three out of their last five games with a draw against Ethiopia away from home and a loss on penalties to European champions, England in the Round of 16 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Indomitable Lionesses form isn’t enviable with three losses and two wins from their last five games including a loss to Kenya which ensured the team will not take part in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
In terms of head-to-head, the nine-time African champions also rise above their Central African rivals, having won four out of the last five head-to-head games.
The only loss to Cameroon in those encounters came in the third-place match of WAFCON 2012 where Gaelle Enganamoiut’s goal separated both sides.
Nigeria has won the last four meetings between both sides but in a keenly contested manner which set up Friday’s clash to be another tough encounter.
In the final of WAFCON 2014, goals from Desire Oparanozie and Asisat Oshoala won the title for Nigeria.
Two years later, the Super Falcons silenced Cameroon fans when Oparanozie scored the winner to win the title against the host.
In 2018, both sides were not separated after regulation time in the semi-final of WAFCON 2018. Nigeria won the shootout 4-2.
The last meeting saw Rasheedat Ajibade scoring the winning goal at WAFCON 2022 which saw the Super Falcons qualify for the World Cup.
The Super Falcons, rated top in Africa and still walking with springs in their steps after reaching the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Down Under, exiting the finals without losing a match in regulation time, will remember at kick-off that the Indomitable Lionesses stopped their march to the London 2012 Olympics.
On their part, the Lionesses have grouses of their own, having been bumped by Nigeria in several major events including being denied the Women Africa Cup of Nations title in front of their fans in 2016, and being shoved out at the quarter-finals of the last Women AFCON tournament in Morocco.
