Chinwendu Ihezuo was the hero on Thursday night as her late goal sealed a narrow 1–0 win for the Super Falcons of Nigeria over Botswana in their second group game at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Casablanca.
Playing at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Nigeria stayed top of Group B with six points from two matches, confirming their spot in the quarterfinals and extending their unbeaten start to the tournament.
After a goalless and frustrating first half, the Super Falcons kept piling pressure on Botswana but struggled to convert their chances. Despite dominating possession and creating more scoring opportunities, they met a brick wall in Botswana’s defence, especially through goalkeeper Sedilame Bosija who pulled off several stunning saves to keep her side in the contest.
Head coach Justine Madugu made key changes early in the second half, bringing on fresh legs including Chinwendu Ihezuo, Esther Okoronkwo, and Christy Ucheibe. The tactical shift increased Nigeria’s attacking push but it took until the 88th minute for the breakthrough to finally arrive.
A swift move from the Nigerian team ended with Ihezuo clinically firing home her second goal of the tournament, ensuring Nigeria grabbed all three points and sparked jubilant scenes on the bench.
Nigeria had earlier beaten Tunisia 3–0 in their opening game and came into this match seeking early qualification. Botswana, coming off a narrow loss to Algeria, had hoped to pull off an upset but ultimately couldn’t hold out.
With this result, the Super Falcons have now won four straight group-stage matches in the WAFCON dating back to the last edition, scoring 10 goals without conceding.
The last time Nigeria opened a WAFCON campaign with back-to-back wins was in 2014, a strong sign that this current squad is building form and focus as they chase a record-extending 10th continental title in what has been tagged “Mission X.”
Elsewhere in Group B, Tunisia and Algeria played out a goalless draw, leaving Algeria on four points and well-positioned to join Nigeria in the knockout stages. Tunisia, sitting on one point, must now beat Botswana in their final group game to stand a chance of making WAFCON history by reaching the last eight.
Nigeria will now focus on securing top spot in the group as they move one step closer to lifting yet another WAFCON crown.
