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Another Nigeria-South Africa Clash Looms –
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is undoubtedly a thorny path for Nigeria’s Super Falcons as they try to navigate their ways back into the Olympic Games women’s football event after last gracing the pitch 16 years ago.
Yet it sounds like a huge paradox considering their pedigree in Africa from where they are supposed to qualify.
They are record nine times African champions and one of the few countries in the world not to have missed any edition of the Women’s World Cup since 1991.
They are in the last stages of picking their Olympic Games qualification, but unlike what would have been the projection many years ago, their qualification will not be easy.
They have two of their most formidable African rivals to contend with. These are Cameroon and most likely, South Africa.
Encounters with both have always been fierce. A barren draw in Douala last Friday has made Monday’s duel in Abuja, a winner-takes-all affairs.
In normal time, a 0-0 draw could have meant having one leg already ahead.
Great lessons could be gleaned from the experience of Nigeria and Ghana in last qualifiers for Qatar 2022 World Cup when the Super Eagles played goalless away only to barely force a 1-1 draw at home and crash out on away goal rule.
This means, nothing should be left to chances on Monday. If the Super Falcons prevail, they have a even more challenging encounter in the final qualifier which will most likely be against South Africa.
First leg will be in Nigeria on 1 April and the reversed leg in South Africa a week later. While Nigeria will still be looking to overcome Cameroon on Monday, South Africa will most likely be having a stroll in the park when they host Tanzania.
The South Africans were ruthless in the first leg match on Friday, getting a 3-0 away win. Although South Africa had been a punching bag for the Super Falcons some years ago, the tide has abated in the last six years.
In six matches in the last six years, Nigeria have not been able to beat South Africa in regulation time. The only win had been the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final match of 2018 when Nigeria won 4-3 in the ensuing penalty kick shootout after a goalless draw.
Followed by another goalless outing in 2019, the remaining four matches were won by South Africa. The most pronounced of these was the 4-2 in the last match of the Aisha Buhari Cup of 2021.
No fewer than five clubs in the Nigeria Premier League will be eliminated this week from the President Federation Cup.
At the moment, 11 of the 17 premier league clubs are on course as the knock-out competition gets to the Round of 32.
Undoubtedly, the non-application of seeding has seen five fixtures pitching the top clubs together while another five pitched lower division clubs against one another.
The remaining six pairings have premier league clubs facing lower ranked teams. These include: relegation-threatened Akwa United facing Zamfara United in Abuja and Gombe United facing former top division sides, El-Kanemi Warriors in Kaduna.
Another ‘mixed fixture’ will see Premier sides, Kwara United facing Warri Wolves while Abia Warriors will face Sporting Supreme of the FCT.
Premier sides, Bendel Insurance will face Wikki Tourists of Bauchi as Enyimba are pitched against Akwa Ibom’s FC Rockets.
But nothing is guaranteed to the Premier League sides as knockout competitions are replete with underdogs upstaging power houses.
No matter the situations, five of the Premier League are doomed for elimination. Former champions Lobi Stars and Shooting Stars in a “Star War” in Awka.
Plateau United and Sunshine Stars are meeting in Abuja just as Rivers United will face fellow Premier League sides, Niger Tornadoes in Auchi.
Katsina United and Bayelsa United will play in Abuja while Doma United face Kano Pillars in Bauchi.
MEN’S ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES
Bendel Insurance (Edo) Vs Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) – Abuja Area 3 – 22/05/24 – 4pm
EFCC FC (FCT) Vs Edel FC (Anambra) – Ilorin – 22/05/24 – 4pm
ABS FC (Kwara) Vs Kebbi United (Kebbi) – Abuja Goal Project – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) Vs Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara) – Abuja Bwari – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Gombe United (Gombe) Vs El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) – Kaduna – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Lobi Stars (Benue) Vs Shooting Stars (Oyo) – Awka – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Coal City (Enugu) – Benin City – 23/05/24 – 4pm
Hammola Int’l (Osun) Vs Inter Lagos (Lagos) – Ibadan – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Kwara United (Kwara) – Enugu – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Abia Warriors (Abia) Vs Sporting Supreme (FCT) – Benin City – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Sokoto United (Sokoto) – Kano – 22/05/24 – 4pm
FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) Vs Enyimba FC (Abia) – Yenagoa – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Plateau United (Plateau) Vs Sunshine Stars (Ondo) – Abuja Goal Project – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Rivers United (Rivers) Vs Niger Tornadoes (Niger) – Auchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Katsina United (Katsina) Vs Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) – Abuja Bwari – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Doma United (Gombe) Vs Kano Pillars (Kano) – Bauchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm
Banyana Banyana game plan was to either beat the Super Falcons at home as they did two years ago in Lagos or earn a draw in Friday’s first leg match of Olympic qualifier in Abuja.
That did not happen as Rasheedat Ajibade’s penalty kick earned Nigeria an outright 1-0 win over South Africa – a first win since the Super Falcons’ 1-0 win in Limbe, Cameroon in 2016.
But according to an account in the South African Football Association website, “Banyana Banyana will have to give it all in the second leg.”
It reported that Banyana Banyana came back from the first half break a much more improved side but failed to convert the few chances that came their way.
“Outstanding goalkeeper Kaylin Swart had to work overtime to deny the hosts from extending their lead.
“Despite creating numerous chances for an equaliser, the game ended 1-0 for the Super Falcons.”
The two African giants will lock horns for the second leg on Tuesday at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria where coach Desiree Ellis’ charges will be hoping to overturn the deficit.
Coach Ellis believes they are still in the game and can turn things around in the second leg on Tuesday.
“Look, we said it was going to be a tight game but we are hopeful of overturning this result in the second leg.”
“We are still in the game. We created a couple of chances, a penalty decided the match but the game is not over.
“I thought in the second half we raised our game a lot and created good chances and could have equalized.
“Maybe we could also have gotten a penalty at the end when Jermaine was fouled but I’m very proud of the team and we will take it back to Pretoria,” said Ellis.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons beat Banyana Banyana of South Africa 1-0 in their first leg of the final qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The return leg comes up on Tuesday in Pretoria.
The South Africans consider the result a good one going into the final qualifier.
Skipper of the side, Rasheedat Ajibade scored the lone goal from a penalty spot in the 43rd minute.
It is Nigeria’s first outright defeat of South Africa since 2018 when Nigeria excelled in an ensuing penalty shootout after a goalless draw in the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.
In their next two matches.
First, they pulled off a big upset beating Nigeria 4-2 to win the Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos in September 2021 and followed up with another 2-1 win in a Group C match at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
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