Rasheedat Ajibade fires Nigeria Super Falcons past South Africa
Nigeria’s Super Falcons secured a crucial 1-0 victory over South Africa’s Banyana Banyana with a goal from team captain Rasheedat Ajibade at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
Coach Randy Waldrum made a strategic decision to include Pachuca forward Chinwendu Ihezuo in the starting lineup due to Asisat Oshoala’s late arrival, preventing her from completing the team’s training sessions.
Ihezuo displayed early determination, coming close to scoring within five minutes and later heading towards goal from a cross by Chidinma Okeke. Her persistence paid off just before halftime when she was fouled in the box by South Africa’s Niko.
Rasheedat Ajibade, the winger from Atletico De Madrid Femenino, confidently converted the resulting penalty, giving Nigeria the lead despite South Africa’s goalkeeper, Kaylin Swart, getting a hand to the ball.
The second half saw Nigeria applying pressure, with Ajibade creating opportunities for Uchenna Kanu, who unfortunately missed her chance.
As the game progressed, Nigeria focused on defending their lead, aiming to avoid conceding goals and minimizing errors ahead of the return leg in South Africa.
Despite missing key defensive players, Coach Randy Waldrum’s team managed to secure a victory at home, setting the stage for a decisive second leg in South Africa.
The Super Falcons will travel to the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria for the return fixture on Tuesday, April 9, aiming to defend their one-goal advantage and secure qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic games in France.
