By Amaechi Agbo
Nigeria swept to a 10th Women Africa Cup of Nations title on Saturday night after a come-from-behind 3-2 defeat of hosts Morocco in a drama-filled Final in Rabat.
Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses had the full-capacity Stade Olympique de Rabat breathing heavily after a superlative opening performance that saw them take a two-goal lead after 24 minutes of the explosive encounter.
Captain Ghizlane Chebbak rifled home a well-placed shot from the edge of the box in the 13th minute, capitalizing on an inadvertent pass by midfielder Halimatu Ayinde.
The Lionesses were smelling the trophy 11 minutes later, when Saana Mssoudy, receiving the ball from a cross on the right, darted past Michelle Alozie to smash past goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
Five minutes before the break, Rasheedat Ajibade squared into the box as the Falcons pushed forward, but the ball agonizingly missed three of her team mates.
The Falcons, champions nine times in the 12 editions that had been held previously, stormed back in the second half with the famed Nigerian spirit, and started their fightback in the 64th minute when the ubiquitous Esther Okoronkwo converted a penalty kick.
Vibrant, fit-fighting and energetic, Okoronkwo took matters into her own hands again seven minutes later, bulldozing her way into the Moroccan eighteen-yard box and then finding Folasade Ijamilusi who connected sweetly past the goalkeeper.
The hosts thought they had won a penalty in the 78th minute when the ball struck defender Tosin Demehin’s hand, but after a long check with the Video Assistant Referee, Namibian referee Antsino Twanyanyukwa struck off the penalty award.
The Super Falcons were now in the ascendancy, and it was no surprise when substitute Jennifer Echegini gloriously swept home the third goal from another Esther Okoronkwo free-kick in the 88th minute.
Nigeria captain Rasheedat Ajibade was named Player of the Tournament, while Africa’s best goalkeeper for the past two years, Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
Victory earned Nigeria a one-million- dollar prize, and a successful ending to a Mission X campaign that caught on round the world like wildfire.
In the event, the Super Falcons decimated all three teams that had beaten them in the 2022 finals also staged in Morocco.
They defeated Zambia 5-0 in the quarter finals to avenge a third-place defeat by the Copper Queens in 2022. In the semi finals, they edged South Africa’s Banyana Banyana who had beaten them 2-1 in the group stage in 2022. In the final, they defeated the Atlas Lionesses that had beaten them on penalty shootout in the semi finals in 2022.
They also kept to their record of never losing a Women AFCON Final.
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