The Super Falcons landed in Pretoria this morning ready for their make or mar Paris 2024 Olympics women’s football qualifier against the Banyana Banyana.
Tomorrow’s match is the second of a tie that started in Abuja on Friday with the Nigerians winning 1-0 through Skipper Rasheedat Ajibade’s penalty goal.
Following the flow of the first half and South Africa’s rising profile in African women’s football, many pundits have written off the Nigerian girls, but Skipper Ajibade will have none of that.
Rather, she believes that the Falcons will beat Banyana Banyana again given the quality of players in the Nigerian team. Shortly before boarding the flight to Pretoria last night, Ajibade advised Nigerians to have confidence in her team’s ability to earn a ticket to Paris 2024, saying that the players are eager to feature at the Olympics this year.
Nigeria has not played at the Olympics since Beijing 2008, just as the South Africans are looking to return to the competition they missed in 2020.
“We are not under any illusions. It is going to be a big and tough fight. For us, we have 90 minutes standing between us and the long-elusive ticket to the Olympics and we will give it our all.
“We want Nigerians to believe in the Super Falcons. The players are motivated by the keen desire to play in the Olympics. Personally, I have played at every tournament you can think of, except the Olympics. The time to do it is now,” Ajibade said.
The players trained in the premises of their hotel on Saturday morning and also trained at the MKO Abiola National Stadium yesterday before departing Abuja for Lagos aboard an Air Peace flight, to connect their flight to South Africa last night.
The Super Falcons are scheduled to have the official training at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium today by 7.30pm (6.30pm Nigeria time). Ajibade added: “At the end of the day, the grass will be green and it will be 11 players against 11 players. We are ready.”
Also speaking on the game, Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, said the Banyana Banyana, who celebrated their low deficit after Friday’s encounter, are in for a shocker inside the 51,000-capacity Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
“The Super Falcons are used to big battles. This one will not be any different. Australia were playing in their home ground at the World Cup, but we defeated them,” she said.
The goal-tender was referring to last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, when the Falcons edged the Matildas 3-2 in front of their home fans in Brisbane, and thus guaranteed a spot for themselves at the tournament’s Round of 16.
Nnadozie was also in goal when the Falcons overwhelmed hosts Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 in a Women Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying match in Abidjan more than two years ago, and has also been in goal in the two earlier away matches in these qualifying series, in which the Falcons earned a 1-1 draw in Addis Ababa and 0-0 draw in Douala.
Home turf advantage has severally been proved to be a mirage in football, even in the ongoing qualifying series, with Zambia defeating Ghana in Accra, Morocco defeating Tunisia 2-1 away, South Africa trouncing Tanzania 3-0 in Dar es Salaam and Morocco also defeating Zambia 2-1 in Ndola in the first leg of their own final qualifying fixture on Friday.
