July 15, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Super Falcons defeated quarter-finals opponent Cameroon 1-0, to both advance to the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and secure an automatic spot in the Women’s FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
Their triumph over the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon means Africa’s most successful female team will be at their 9th consecutive world cup in another example of how dominant the team has been on the continent, even as the gap in quality has closed up with the allowance of time.
In Thursday’s quarter-final in Casablanca, Morocco, Rasheedat Ajibade’s magnificent header in the 53rd minute of the second half helped the Super Falcons to their lone goal victory. It is another historic feat as it sees the Nigerian ladies mark 12th semi-final in a row.
Deservedly, Ajibade picked up the Woman of the Match award for her goal-scoring performance for the Super Falcons and coach Randy Waldrum will be hoping she and her teammates will display more improvements when Nigeria take on host nation, Morocco, in the semi-finals of the competition on Monday, July 18th to keep the hopes of a record 10th continental trophy alive.
The team will have to improve on lapses that can be disastrous if made against more capable sides while improving their team cohesion, linkup play from all parts of the pitch and overall ball distribution. The technical infusion of ideas from the bench and significant substitutions where necessary can alter the flow of the game and give the Super Falcons an incisive advantage heading into the semi-finals.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
