It will be another clash of rivals on Monday when Nigeria’s Super Falcons take on the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon in the ongoing 2024 Olympics qualifier. To be held at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja, the second leg of the third qualifying round for the qualifiers of the Women’s football event of the Paris Olympics will determine who makes it to the final qualifying round.
The Super Falcons had edged out Ethiopia and Cape Verde for a date with Cameroon in the latest football rivalry. On Friday, in the first leg at the Stade de la Reunification in Douala, Cameroon were able to hold the Super Falcons to a draw even though the Nigerians felt they should have come out of that game with a win.
Monday’s game will determine who gets to meet possibly South Africa who already have one leg in the final round after a 3-0 trouncing of Tanzania away in Dar Es Salaam.
Whoever Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum puts out, Nigeria will hope to do another one over Cameroon like they did a few weeks ago at the Africa Cup of Nations in a 2-0 win in the Round of 16.
However, there are feelers that he will be more adventurous than he was in Douala where he played compact midfield. He had Halimatu Ayinde, Christy Ucheibe, and Deborah Abiodun who are defensive locks behind the attacking trio of Rasheedat Ajibade, Asisat Oshoala, and Toni Payne.
However, it is rumoured that he will bring back Payne to the midfield and add more bite in attack, which means one of the aforementioned midfielders will have to drop to the substitute bench. Onumonu is tall and fast and will bring more aerial threat to the team as she will look to profit from crosses from the midfield and the flanks.
Not the paciest forward you would see, but she makes up for that up with great positional awareness and good finishing, something the Super Falcons missed in the first leg. Monday’s game at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja between the Super Falcons and Indomitable Lionesses will kick off at 4 pm West Africa time.
The Super Falcons need to win to advance to the next stage to avoid missing out on the Olympics once again. Should they win Monday’s game, a likely grudge match against South Africa awaits the Super Falcons in the final qualifier.
These two countries have become huge rivals in the African game, with Banyana Banyana getting the bragging rights in their most recent encounter against the Super Falcons at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations two years ago en route to bagging their first continental title. And let’s not forget their dramatic semi-final at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this month, or the upcoming World Cup qualifiers between the two countries.
