National Teams
Cape Verde 1-2 Nigeria: Ajibade’s late strike seals Super Falcons WAFCON 2024 ticket
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team qualified for the 2024 Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after a 2-1 comeback win over Cape Verde in the return leg of the final qualifying round in Praia on Tuesday.
Coach Justine Madugu made no changes to the team that thrashed Cape Verde 5-0 in the first leg encounter at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
Chiamaka Nnadozie, Tosin Demehin, Akudo Ogbonna, Rofiat Imuran, Osinachi Ohale, Peace Efih, Rasheedat Ajibade, Toni Payne, Deborah Abiodun, Uchenna Kanu, and Gift Monday who started the first leg began the contest.
Needing six un-replied goals to upturn a five-goal deficit, the hosts surged for the opener which deservedly came in the eighth minute from Ivania Moreira.
The hosts tried to double the lead but to no avail in the first 30 minutes of the encounter.
They held on to the slim lead heading into the second half as the Nigerian coach introduced Esther Onyenezide and Esther Okoronkwo in place of Peace Efih and Uchenna Kanu respectively.
The substitution paid off when Okoronkwo found the back of the net in the 55th minute but the goal was ruled out for an offside.
The Cape Verde defence was finally breached in the 62nd minute as substitute Okoronkwo scored the equaliser with a solo finish.
The equaliser ensured the tide of the game swung in the favour of the nine-time African champions.
Stand-in captain, Ajibade converted the winning goal in the additional minutes of the second half to seal a 2-1 win and a 7-1 aggregate victory for the Super Falcons.
With the win, Justin Madugu’s side have qualified for next year’s WAFCON in Morocco in bid for a tenth African title.
