Nigeria’s Super Falcons yesterday defeated defending champions Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang Nacional 4-2 to win the 7th African Women’s Championship, in South Africa.
It was the 6th time Nigeria will be emerging as champions of Africa and the win served as sweet revenge for the Super Falcons, who had lost out at the semi final stage of the 2008 tournament to the Nzalang Nacional.
Perpetua Nkwocha shot Nigeria into the lead in the first half to score her 11th goal of the tournament. But it wasn’t until the second half that the game came alive with both sides thrilling spectators to an incredible display of attacking football with five goals arriving in the final half-hour of the game - one from the head of Nigeria’s Ugochi Oparanozie, and four by the Equatoguineans, including two own goals.
The second half
The Nzalang Nacional started out the stronger of both sides after the half-time break with their most dangerous player Salimata Simpore doing her best to trouble the Nigerian backline, but Osinachi Ohale, and Rita Chikwelu who had to abandon her responsibilities in the Super Falcons midfield ensured that the threat posed by the 23-year-old forward was nullified. Simpore got past her markers on one occasion, in the 57th minute, only to shoot over the Nigerian crossbar.
Two minutes later, Oparanozie, put through on goal by Stella Mbachu, got the better of her marker only for her shot to be parried out for a corner kick by the Nacional’s Brazilian-born goalkeeper Mirian.
From the resultant corner kick, Oparanozie came close to extending Nigeria’s lead but her header from four yards out went over the bar.
Paying the price
The Nigerians were to eventually rue those misses when Caroline Conceicao headed home a corner kick, in the 63rd minute to draw the Equatoguineans level. In the process, the Brazilian-born central defender received a blow from the Nigerian goalkeeper, Precious Dede, and she had to be taken off the pitch for treatment.
The equalizer served as a wake-up call for the Super Falcons and raided the Nzalang Nacional’s backline in search of the winning goal. The pressure paid off in the 76th minute when Oparanozie rose higher than every other person in the penalty area to nod Nigeria back into the lead, with her third goal of the tournament.
Three minutes later, Ghislaine Nke scored an own goal from a cross by Mbacu to make it 3-1.
The Nzalang Nacional however responded almost immediately with an 82nd minute goal by Jade Boho Sayo, who was actually a member of the Spanish team that won the 2004 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in Finland. She scored the opening goal of Spain’s 2-1 win over the Germans in that 2004 final....
But a dazzling run down the right flank, right after the restart, resulted in yet another own goal by the Equatoguineans, this time by Conceicao, who side footed a cross by Mbachu past her goalkeeper.
No frayed nerves
“We were not worried,” said Nkwocha in response to a question about the attempted comeback by the Equatoguineans. “I was not worried because we remained focused all through. We had our targets, which were to qualify for the World Cup and to win the tournament so we were always confident of winning,” added the Swedish-based player who ended up as the tourney’s leading scorer.
She however fell short of the 15 goals that had been set for her by her teammates.
“I tried my best to score because I said I was going to score 15 goals,” said Nkwocha before adding: “Actually my friends did, but at least I tried by scoring more than half of it.” Mbachu said she is convinced that Nkwocha did her best.
“You can see that she tried to do it,” she said. “Anytime she is on the pitch she gives us confidence. We have so much faith in her and she didn’t disappoint.”
Apart from Nkwocha’s top scorer award, Nigeria also won the Fair Play Trophy while Mbachu was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. And there was none more pleased about it all than the team’s coach Eucharia Uche, herself a former Falcon player.
“I’m really happy about it all,” said an elated Uche. “I’m really glad that almost all the awards here are for Nigerians.”
The next task for the Super Falcons is to get ready for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, which has been scheduled to take place between June 26 and July 17 in Germany. They have never made it past the quarter finals of the World Cup...
