By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigeria’s U20 women’s football team, the Falconets, secured the 2023 WAFU B U20 Girls Tournament title in commanding fashion, defeating Ghana’s Black Princesses 3-0 in the final match of the competition on Tuesday morning at Stade Omnisport d’Adjohoun in Bénin Republic.
The Falconets, who had already beaten Ghana 3-1 earlier in the tournament, showed no signs of slowing down, asserting their dominance with an early lead.
Janet Akekoromowei opened the scoring in the 17th minute, and just seven minutes later, Alaba Olabiyi doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 24th minute.
Akekoromowei, who had scored twice in the previous encounter with Ghana, continued her impressive form.
Ramotalahi Kareem, who had also netted a brace in Nigeria’s 3-1 victory over Benin on Sunday, was once again a key contributor in the Falconets’ attacking play, providing the necessary spark for their offensive movements.
With this win, Nigeria finished the tournament with a perfect record of three victories, nine points, and an impressive goal difference of +8, having scored three goals in each of their three matches.
Ghana, despite their loss, secured second place with six points, having defeated the hosts Benin in their earlier encounters.
Although the Falconets are set to face Benin once again on Wednesday morning in a match that holds no competitive significance, the game will serve merely as a ceremonial fixture, with the Nigerian side already confirmed as the champions.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
