Nigeria’s Super Falcons have advanced to the quarterfinal of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after edging Botswana 1-0 in a tense Group B encounter on Thursday.
Substitute Chinwendu Ihezuo made the difference for Nigeria, coming off the bench to score just as she did in the tournament opener. Her effort ended Botswana’s determined defensive resistance and handed the Super Falcons a second consecutive win.
The Falcons entered the match brimming with confidence after a commanding 3-0 victory over Tunisia in their opening game. In contrast, Botswana were under pressure to bounce back following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Algeria in their first outing.
Despite Nigeria dominating possession for most of the game, Botswana showed impressive defensive organisation, successfully shutting down the Falcons’ attacking threats throughout the first half and going into the break with the score still level.
More Read
Head coach Justin Madugu made a triple substitution at half-time, bringing on Esther Okoronkwo, Christy Ucheibe, and Chinwendu Ihezuo for Asisat Oshoala, Toni Payne, and Rinsola Babajide in an attempt to improve the team’s urgency in attack.
However, Nigeria suffered a blow early in the second half when midfielder Deborah Abiodun picked up a yellow card in the 55th minute. The booking, her second of the tournament, means she will miss the Falcons’ final group match.
In the 70th minute, Madugu introduced Jennifer Echegini to replace Abiodun, and the forward nearly made an instant impact but her left-footed strike was unable to trouble Botswana’s goalkeeper Sedilame Bosija.
Echegini continued to threaten and came close again moments later, but Bosija was equal to the task, keeping her side in the match. With time running out, it was Ihezuo who rose to the occasion, breaking the deadlock and securing victory for Nigeria.
The victory takes Nigeria to six points, keeping them at the top of Group B and booking a spot in the quarterfinals with one game to spare. Algeria remain second with four points, while Tunisia and Botswana trail behind with one point each.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
