The Super Falcons of Nigeria have booked their ticket to the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory against Cape Verde on Tuesday night.
The nine-time African champions, who dominated the first leg 5-0 in Abuja, found themselves trailing early in the second leg when Ivania Moreira put the hosts ahead in the 8th minute.
But the Super Falcons, under the interim guidance of Justin Madugu, refused to crumble. The coach’s halftime substitutions, bringing on Esther Onyenezide and Esther Okoronwko for Peace Efih and Uchenna Kanu, proved to be the turning point.
Okoronwko equalized just after the hour mark, and substitute Rasheedat Ajibade snatched the winner in stoppage time to send the traveling Nigerian fans into raptures.
The 7-1 aggregate victory confirms Nigeria’s place in the WAFCON finals to be held in Morocco next year. They join hosts Morocco, South Africa, Algeria, and Ghana, who have already secured their spots.
With the WAFCON trophy firmly in their sights, the Super Falcons will now shift their focus to preparing for the tournament and reclaiming the continental crown they last won in 2016.
Meanwhile, teams that have already picked qualification tickets for WAFCON 2024 are the host nation Morocco, champions South Africa, DR Congo, Tunisia, Ghana, Botswana and Algeria.
Others that have also qualified are Mali, Tanzania, Senegal and Zambia.
