Paris 2024: Waldrum names Ayinde and Ohale replacements against Ethiopia

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Amidst news of four key players expected to miss Nigeria’s senior women’s national team Paris 2024 Olympics Qualifiers first leg clash with Ethiopia, two replacements to absent players have been confirmed.

FC Robo Queens midfielder, Esther Onyenezide will replace Halimatu Ayinde, while Esther Akudo Ogbonna takes the spot of Osinachi Ohale in the Super Falcons squad for the trip to the East African nation.

Onyenezide was part of the Nigerian U-20 women’s side at the 2022 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup, while Ogbonna narrowly missed out on a spot at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup roster.

Nigeriafootball.ng had earlier exclusively reported that Gift Monday, Halimatu Ayinde, Regina Otu, and Christy Uchiebe will miss the upcoming showdown against the East African side.

The shock withdrawals were due to varying reasons, including visa hitches and health-related matters and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the development ahead of Wednesday’s first-leg tie in Addis Ababa.

The development makes Nigeria’s chances of returning to the women’s football event of the Olympics in doubt after missing out on the past three editions after they featured thrice in 2000, 2004, and 2008.

The first leg of the Second Round tie will be held on Wednesday, October 25, with the return leg in Abuja on October 31.

The winner on aggregate will confront the winner of the fixture between Cameroon and Uganda.

The Indomitable Lionesses drew a bye, while Uganda overpowered Rwanda 4-3 on aggregate.

Ethiopia’s senior girls, nicknamed Lucy, turned back the senior women national team of Chad 10-0 in the first round of the series, played in the month of July.

The Ethiopians won the first leg 6-0 in Addis Ababa on July 13, before lashing their hosts 4-0 in N’Djamena five days later.