Admin I Tuesday, Oct.13, 2026
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Super Falcons produced a clinical second-leg display on Tuesday, defeating Comoros 5-0 in Ikenne to secure a 7-0 aggregate victory in the second round of the 2028 Olympics Women’s Football Tournaments qualifiers.
Following a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture, interim coach Augustine Eguavoen’s side controlled proceedings early. Gift Monday came close to opening the scoring in the ninth minute after breaking through on goal, but her attempt to round the Comoros goalkeeper was botched.
Nigeria suffered a setback in the 28th minute when skipper Rasheedat Ajibade was forced off following a heavy collision. Folashade Ijamilusi was introduced as her replacement.
The breakthrough arrived in the 41st minute. Uchenna Kanu, who scored the second in Friday’s 2-0 win, capitalized on a defensive error by the Comoros goalkeeper, intercepting the ball and squaring it to Toni Payne, who slotted home from close range.
Eguavoen made a tactical change at the interval, replacing Gift Monday with Blessing Okpe. The substitution yielded immediate dividends as Nigeria intensified their onslaughts in the second half. In the 58th minute, Ijamilusi delivered an accurate cross into the penalty area for Kanu to double the night’s scoreline with a firm header. Kanu thought she had added another three minutes later, but her effort off an Ijamilusi cross was disallowed for offside.
The hosts added a third in the 63rd minute. Okpe beat two Comoros defenders on a driving run down the flank before cutting the ball back to Payne, who netted her second of the evening. Three minutes later, Ijamilusi notched another assist, whipping in a delivery for Kanu to head home her second of the match and third of the fixture in the 66th minute.
Nigeria earned a penalty in the 71st minute when Okpe was brought down inside the box. Christy Ucheibe stepped up to convert the spot-kick, placing the Super Falcons five goals ahead. The technical crew utilized all remaining options late in the second half. Jennifer Echegini and Kanu made way for Suliat Abideen and Shakirat Moshood in the 81st minute, while Fatimah Soliat replaced Payne in the 87th minute.
With a 7-0 aggregate victory across on both legs, the Super Falcons advance to the next round of the qualifying campaign, where they will face Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses.
PHOTO: Captain Rasheedat Ajibade flows past a Comoros defender before being injured on Tuesday.
WAFU-B U17 Championship: Eaglets forced to train on poor pitch ahead of Niger clash
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets were forced to hold their final training session ahead of their opening match of the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship on a termite-infested, five-a-side pitch in Ouagadougou on Tuesday evening.
The team had been scheduled to train at the USFA football pitch in Ouagadougou. However, on arrival at the venue, the Nigerian contingent discovered that USFA, the owners of the facility, had scheduled a friendly match for the same time the Eaglets were expected to begin their session.
The Nigerian cadet team was subsequently directed to use a nearby five-a-side pitch beside the main facility. Unfortunately, the pitch had a poor playing surface that was unsuitable for a team preparing for a competitive international tournament.
Efforts by Paul Okwudolor, the team manager of Nigeria’s U17 national team, to reach the organisers of the Championship over the situation were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.
The Nigerian youngsters were unhappy about the ugly situation, but the technical crew and the players have resolved to put the untoward happening behind them and focus on Wednesday’s clash with their counterparts from Niger Republic.
Nigeria, five-time world champions in this category, have to negotiate their way past Niger Republic and Cote d’Ivoire in group B, before the knockout rounds of the WAFU-B U17 Championship, which is a qualifying tournament for next year’s U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
