The Super Falcons of Nigeria secured a narrow 2-1 win against the Bayana Bayana of South Africa at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, Morocco, claiming a final spot at the WAFCON 2024 tournament.
Coach Justin Madugu continued with the same starting lineup that secured victory against Zambia in the quarter-final.
Soccernet.ng rates the performance of the Nigerian players as they sealed a narrow win against South Africa.
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1. Chiamaka Nnadozie 6.4/10: The Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper was solid playing out from the back tonight, but she was caught slipping on two occasions and could’ve gifted Bayana Bayana a goal if they were more alert.
2. Michelle Alozie 7.1/10: The Houston Dash full-back bombed forward on the right wing, combining well with Florence Ijamilusi in attack.
Alozie’s cross was left untouched, and it went all the way into the back of the net, sealing the win for Nigeria in an unconventional style.
3. Oluwatosin Demehin 6.6/10: The Galatasaray defender had to cover a lot of ground at the back as South Africa kept playing a lot of through balls in behind.
She didn’t have an outstanding performance today, but she kept Nigeria in the game with her clearances.
4. Osinachi Ohale 5.9/10: The Pachuca centre-back was shaky at the heart of the defence today, and she fouled a South African player to cause a penalty. The resulting penalty led to Bayana’s equaliser.
5. Ashleigh Plumptre 6.9/10: The Al-Ittihad defender had a good performance in the first half, creating chances from wing-back. She became more reserved in the second half as the South Africans attacked.
6. Halimatu Ayinde 6.3/10: Tasked with doing the dirty work in the middle of the park, the Ronsegard midfielder did just that, although her second-half yellow card caused her to take fewer risks.
7. Jennifer Echegini 6.8/10: The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder suffered an injury towards the end of the game, but in her time on the pitch, she was the glue to transitioning from defence to attack for the Super Eagles.
8. Rasheedat Ajibade 7.7/10: The Super Falcons captain opened her WAFCON 2024 goalscoring account from twelve yards in the closing moments of the first half.
She drew out the South African defenders with her relentless mazy runs and was a second coach on the pitch for the Nigerian team.
9. Chiwendu Ihezuo 6.4/10: The Pachuca forward completed several take-ons on the flank, but the final ball was usually missing. She was replaced by Sikiratu Isah in the game’s final moments.
10. Folashade Ijamilusi 6.5/10: Like Ihezuo, the 24-year-old completed several take-ons, but only a few led to proper goalscoring chances for her teammates to benefit from.
11. Esther Okoronkwo 6.9/10: The AFC Toronto forward dropped deep to get the ball from midfield when the game went haywire.
Overall, she didn’t have enough clear-cut chances, but her link-up play and efforts in the final third couldn’t be faulted today.
Substitutes
Christy Ucheibe 6/10: The Benfica midfielder came on to help Justin Madugu’s side provide an extra player in the midfield when they were getting swarmed by several attacks from the South Africans.
Deborah Abiodun came on in the 81st minute for Ayinde Halimatu, and she played a huge role in Nigeria’s second goal, paving the way for Alozie’s cross to go all the way into Dlamini’s net.
Sikiratu Isah came on in the closing seconds of the game.