Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Friday defeated the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 in the first leg match of their final round fixture in the ongoing 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifiers.
The match played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, saw the US-based Ifeoma Onumonu scoring in the 21st minute of the match to put the Super Falcons in the lead.
Onumonu got the Super Falcon’s second goal in the 56th minute when she latched on to a floated pass by her team mate to beat the Ivorian keeper for the second time.
According to local media reports, the pressure mounted by the Ivorians were adequately checked and contained by the defense of the Super Falcons.
However, the effort by substitute Gift Monday to get the third goal for the Super Falcons in the 85th minute was blocked by the Ivorian defenders.
In a post-match interview, the Nigerian coach, Randy Waldrum expressed delight with the performance of the Super Falcons.
“I thought that we had a good control of the game, so I am really proud of the players.
“We have Nnadozie, making a huge save at the end, keeping a clean sheet and we all know that it’s very important.
“We are also proud of this lady, Onumonu. This is her first opportunity to come to Nigeria and represent her country and she scored a brace.
“Ashleigh also gave a good account of herself and it was really a solid performance,” local media reports quoted Waldrum as saying.
The return leg will be played in Abidjan on Wednesday.
GIK/APA