Nigeria vs Cameroon: Super Falcons Battle Lionesses for WAFCON Semi-Final, World Cup Spot
Defending champions Nigeria will battle familiar rivals Cameroon on Sunday with a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and a ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil at stake.
The Super Falcons face the Indomitable Lionesses in a potentially explosive quarter-final at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, four years after Nigeria defeated Cameroon 1-0 at the same stage of the 2022 WAFCON to secure qualification for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Rasheedat Ajibade scored the decisive second-half header that settled the encounter.
Nigeria have historically dominated their rivalry with Cameroon at the continental championship. The Falcons thrashed the Lionesses 6-0 during the inaugural Women’s AFCON hosted by Nigeria in 1998 and have also defeated them in two previous finals.
In the 2014 final in Windhoek, Desire Oparanozie and Asisat Oshoala scored in a 2-0 victory for Nigeria, while Oparanozie again proved decisive two years later, scoring the winning goal in a tense 2016 final in Yaoundé.
Cameroon have nevertheless shown that they can trouble the nine-time African champions.
Earlier this year, the Lionesses defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the first match of a two-game series in Yaoundé before the Falcons responded emphatically with a 3-1 victory in the return fixture. Chinwendu Ihezuo, Rinsola Babajide and Michelle Alozie scored for Nigeria in that comeback win.
The Falcons also defeated Cameroon 2-0 in a friendly at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta last year during preparations for their successful Mission X campaign.
Nigeria enter Sunday’s quarter-final with renewed confidence after producing their most emphatic performance of the tournament in the group stage, thrashing Egypt 6-0 in their final Group C fixture in Rabat.
Veteran striker Asisat Oshoala could retain her place in the starting XI after scoring against Zambia and converting a penalty against Egypt. The forward had also scored twice in Nigeria’s pre-tournament friendly victories over Senegal.
Head coach Justin Madugu will also welcome back defender Tosin Demehin and midfielder Jennifer Echegini, who missed the Egypt victory through suspension.
Madugu insists the Falcons have not changed their ultimate objective.
‘Our objective remains picking the World Cup ticket and then going ahead to retain the trophy. Nothing has changed,’ the coach said.
Sunday’s heavyweight encounter kicks off at 6pm at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, the same venue where Nigeria played most of their matches during their successful Mission X campaign last year.
