By Paul Erewuba
The Super Falcons, yesterday, in Casablanca, Morocco, defeated their Cameroonian counterparts 1- 0 in a quarter-final match in the going Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The only goal of the match was scored with a header by Rashidat Ajibade in the second half of the encounter.
The Falcons will now meet Morocco in the semi final stage on July 18.
By this feat, the Nigeria girls have picked one of the tickets for FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Hosts, Morocco became the first African country to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and will be making a debut.
They progressed to the semi-finals of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations also for the first time in the country’s history after overcoming an exciting Botswana side 2-1 on Wednesday night and will now meet Nigeria.
Zambia on the other hand defeated Senegal in a penalty shootout on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Zambia, in addition, for them to qualify for the semi-finals of the WAFCON, have automatically picked the ticket for the 2023 World Cup which will take place in Australia and New Zealand.
A 1-2 defeat at the hands of South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in their opening match of Group C somewhat dimmed the shine of the Super Falcons, but they rose stoutly to the occasion and won their other two matches with six points and six goals advantage shooting them to the last eight. Cameroon also started somewhat slowly, drawing with Zambia, but they picked up impressively and their reward was their quarter final match.
Both countries flew Africa’s flag at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Canada and the last edition in France three years ago, but Nigeria remains one of the only six countries in Africa to have participated in all eight editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.