WAFCON22: Ajibade goal hands Super Falcons World Cup ticket

Tremendous Falcons secured a 1-0 victory over Cameroon within the quarter-finals of the 2022 Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.

Rasheedat Ajibade’s second-half strike earned victory for the Tremendous Falcons within the keenly contested encounter on the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.

With this outcome, the West Africans will now face hosts Morocco within the semi-final, whereas additionally choosing considered one of Africa’s tickets to the 2023 Fifa Girls’s World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

However their poor report in opposition to the reigning African champions, the Indomitable Lionesses went into the sport filled with excessive hopes – having completed the group stage unbeaten.

Even at that, the Nigerians received off to a vivid begin as they dominated ball possession whereas the Central Africans had been made to remain in their very own half.

Six minutes into the cracker, the primary actual probability fell to Randy Waldrum’s facet – successful a freekick after Estelle Johnson fouled Francisca Ordega. Ngozi Okobi took the resultant kick however Ifeoma Onumonu headed broad.

Within the sparkless first half, Ajara Nchout Njoya was cautioned for bringing down captain Onome Ebi.

Cameroon’s aggressive sample of play gave Nigeria set piece alternatives, however they had been unable to transform with Ashleigh Plumptre, Onumonu and Ajibade failing to seek out the online.

Gabriel Zabo’s first try at objective got here within the twenty sixth minute however Michaela Batya’s tame header couldn’t threaten goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie – who was hardly ever threatened.

Two minutes earlier than the hour mark, one other probability beckoned for Nigeria by way of one other set piece, albeit, the combo between Ajibade and Plumptre didn’t work out.

After a sluggish first 45 minutes, the Central Africans stepped up their sport nonetheless, it was Waldrum’s Falcons who took a well-deserved lead by Ajibade within the 53rd minute.

Okobi beat Johnson and Claudine Meffometou, then arrange Gotham FC’s Onumonu who in flip despatched a tremendous cross to the Atletico Madrid ahead to move previous goalkeeper Ange Bawou.

That setback was a actuality test for the Cameroonians who attacked in numbers, but had been unable to get previous the Tremendous Falcons backline.

That they had a penalty attraction waved off by referee Makalima NJoya after a sandwich between Ebi and Osinachi Ohale within the objective space.

After the tip of 90 minutes, Nigeria soared into the final 4, thus making it 14 wins within the final 15 earlier outings between the African nations.

The Indomitable Lionesses’ hopes of reaching the World Cup stay intact, however they must obtain that by the inter-confederation play-offs