BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Dropping a whopping 69.33 points in the current FIFA rankings, Nigeria’s Super Falcons are adjudged as the team with the biggest drop by points.

Though they remain the first in Africa, their global ranking slumped from 39 in on 17 June to 47 on 5 August.

Their slump could be linked to the performances at the last month’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations where they played six matches and won just three, a far cry from their previous outings.

They could not also make a podium appearance. Their conquerors in the bronze medal match, Zambia are adjudged to have both the biggest move by points and also by rank when they moved 23 places up the ladder to 80^th position.

Winners of WAFCON, South Africa also have impressive move from 58^th in the world to 54^th.

In Africa, the African queens moved from third position to second.

At global level, US still remain on top in a ranling that took into consideration 221 matches played since 17 June.

CAF has released the Best XI of the 2022  Women’s Africa Cup of Nations following the completion of the history-making tournament in Morocco.

This compilation of players by members of CAF’s Technical Study Group (TSG) brings together the best performers in each position over the last three weeks.

South Africa’s custodian Andile Dlamini, who was named the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament for her role in guiding Banyana Banyana to victory, starts between the posts. Dlamini kept three clean sheets in the six games her side played and was a leader on and off the pitch.

In a four-woman defensive setup, South Africa’s Bambanani Mbane partners Osinachi Ohale of Nigeria in an enviable pairing that would make many a forward sweat to find the back of the net. Both strong in character provided a protection role for their teams consistently throughout the tournament.

At right back, Zambia’s Margaret Belemu and Zineb Redouani of Morocco who are lethal with and without the ball complete the defense line.

In front of this defensive lineup is the captains’ midfield with Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak partnering Grace Chanda from Zambia and Jane Refiloe from South Africa.

The three captains bring a touch of class, an understanding of the game and passing abilities that have the power to change the course and destiny of a game. All three have been nicknamed “conductors”. They take charge and control the ball and make it do as they please. That mastery stood out all tournament – consistently.

Chebbak who was named as the Player of the Tournament was also joint top scorer with three goals.

To complete the fancy 4-3-3 formation, Nigeria’s Rasheedat Ajibade ‘the Blue Haired Girl” also joint top scorer of the tournament with three goals comes in on the right side while Moroccan Fatima Tagnaout brings quality on the left wing and to spice things up, in comes South Africa’s Jermaine Seoposenwe up front to lead the line.

Pace, quick decision-making and an eye for goal is what makes this trio special. With supply from the midfield maestros, scoring goals is as easy as pie.

This 4-3-3 lineup would destroy any opposition in front of them and produce a memorable display of football.

-Cafonline

The Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated Super Falcons’ forward Rasheedat Ajibade for emerging as joint top-scorer of the just-ended 12^th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco, where the Super Falcons earned a ticket to the FIFA World Cup finals even as the team failed to realize its ambition of a 10^th triumph.

NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi said: “We rejoice with Rahseedat Ajibade for her emergence as joint top-scorer of the tournament and we implore her to continue to show even more prolificity and commitment in the jerseys of club and country. Her three goals surely helped the Super Falcons to win a World Cup ticket. Our team would certainly have been in the Final if not for the incident that led to her expulsion in the semi final match against the host nation.

“She probably would have won the award outright if she finished the game and played one more match.”

Ajibade was ejected after 70 minutes of the semi final against Morocco at the Complexe Prince Moulay Abdellah, with Nigeria already one woman down, and the Falcons played the next 50 minutes (of regulation and extra time) with only nine players, losing in the ensuing penalty shoot-out.

In the third-place match against Zambia on Friday, a fierce shot by Evarine Suzeni Katongo in the 28^th minute struck the upright and bounced on the back of hardworking goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie for the only goal of the match, with the Falcons failing to convert any of a slew of chances they created.

Sanusi also congratulated Mimisen Calvin-Onwuka, who played the role of Assistant Referee 1 in the Final match between Morocco and South Africa on Saturday, saying her stellar performance alongside referee Salima Mukansanga from Rwanda did not go unnoticed by the global football community. He urged her to continue to develop herself with available top-level courses and programmes in order to continue her rise to global reckoning.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets have continued their preparations for next month’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals scheduled for Costa Rica. The girls, who have been training in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja will depart for a one-week training tour in Barranquilla, Colombia, from where the delegation will fly into San Jose for the finals slated for 10^th – 28^th August.