WAFCON 2024: Ajibade talks up blend of youth, experience in Nigeria surge

By Wale Mustapha

Nigeria stand-in captain, Rasheedat Ajibade has attributed the mixture of experience and youthfulness helped the team’s 5-0 demolition of Cape Verde in the first leg, second round of African Women’s Cup of Nations, qualifiers on Thursday.

A brace from both Uchenna Kanu and Esther Okoronkwo with another goal from Monday Gift put the Super Falcons in driving seat to secure their passage to the tournament proper.

Speaking about how the team was able to stroll over the visitors, the Athletico Madrid midfielder said the experienced players provided leadership and cover for the young bloods in the team just as asked the tempo be sustained.

“It is very important that you have youthful players on the team, and you also have experienced players because sometimes experience beats youthfulness.

“When you have both the youths and experienced ones on the pitch, it really helps. It is still a work in progress, and we just have to build on this place where we stopped today.

“It is not the best game; we could be better because we set a standard for ourselves, so we just have to keep building up on this standard,” she said.

The victory marked Super Falcons’ biggest win in a competitive fixture since beating Equatorial Guinea 6-0 at the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2018.

Nigeria will be guest to Cape Verde in Praia on Tuesday for the second leg of the qualifiers where the eventual winner will seal the ticket to the AWCON 2024 tournament.