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.

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.  

It’s time for the massive 2022  Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final between hosts Morocco and South Africa’s Banyana Banyana at Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex. Before tonight’s big game CAF Online looked at the WAFCON final by the numbers.

0 – The 2018 final is the only edition to end 0-0 and be decided on penalties. Nigeria won a 9th title, defeating South Africa on spot kicks.

1 – Victory for South Africa handed them their first WAFCON title.

2 – Morocco’s loss means that host nations have lost in the final thrice previously, South Africa in 2000 and Cameroon in 2016, both to Nigeria. Victory for either nation will see them become the second country along with Nigeria to have their men’s and women’s teams crowned continental champions. Morocco were AFCON winners in 1976 and South Africa in 1996.

3 – The winner will become the third nation to win the WAFCON title, after Equatorial Guinea who have two titles and Nigeria with 9. They will also be the first new winner of the tournament since Equatorial Guinea in 2008.

4 – South Africa have won four games at the current tournament by a single goal, they have won their last three games 1-0. They only won a game in Morocco by a greater margin against Burundi 3-1 in the group stages.

5 – South Africa are participating in their fifth WAFCON final. They have now reached a final in Central, West, North and Southern Africa and are the first team to reach WAFCON finals in four hemispheres of the continent. It is the first time they have reached back-to-back finals.

6 – Victory for Morocco will see the host nation win the WAFCON title for the 6th time. Nigeria in 1998, 2002 and 2006 as well as Equatorial Guinea in 2008 and 2012 have won on home soil previously.

7 – This is South Africa’s 7th meeting with a WAFCON host. They have lost all of their previous six encounters against the hosts. Morocco are the fourth host nation they will face along with Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. It is their third meeting in a final with a host. They lost to Equatorial Guinea in 2008 and 2012.

8– This will be the 8th time that the hosts have reached the final along with Cameroon (2016), Equatorial Guinea (2008 & 2012), Nigeria (1998, 2002 & 2006) and South Africa (2000).

9 – Nigeria are the most successful country in the competition, winning the title on 9 occasions, the joint most continental titles in Women’s Football along with China (AFC) and the USA (CONCACAF).

10 – Should the winning nation manage to keep a clean-sheet it will be the 10th time in WAFCON final history that the winners’ defence has not been breached. Only twice before in 2008 (EQG 2 RSA 1) and 2010 (NGA 4 EQG 2) have both teams scored in the final.

100 – The percentage of wins that Nigeria have in the final of the WAFCON, winning all 9 of the Championship games they have played in WAFCON finals.