WAFCON: Nigeria Edge South Africa 2-1 In Semi Finals

The Super Falcons put up another brilliant outing on Tuesday in the semi final of the Morocco 2025 Women’s Nations Cup.

The hardworking Nigerian girls secured a 2-1 victory over South Africa to land in the final of the tournament thus keeping their Mission X hopes alive.

The Super Falcons went into the lead in the first half courtesy of a Rashidat Ajibade strike from the spot.

South Africa managed to crawl back in the second half when they were awarded a soft penalty by the Ugandan referee.

Michelle Alozie in the dying minutes of the game sealed victory for Nigeria with a long volley that sailed into the net.

Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade has bagged her third Player of the Match award after overcoming South Africa in the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON, 2024

Ajibade opened the scoring from the spot before Michelle Alozie scored the winner for Nigeria to advance to the final in a 2-1 win. 

Recall that she was named Player of the Match against Botswana and Zambia as no player has won more Player of the Match awards at the ongoing WAFCON than her.

Victory meant the Super Falcons’ first win over the Banyana in the Africa Cup of Nations in the three tournaments, with the South Africans having won group stages matches in 2018 and 2022 with 1-0 and 2-1 score-lines respectively.

Nigeria’s head coach, Justine Madugu, has praised the unity and mental resilience of his players after the Super Falcons edged past South Africa 2–1 in a tense Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final on Tuesday in Casablanca

Reflecting on the emotionally charged encounter, Madugu revealed that the turning point came when the players managed to overcome their momentary loss of confidence following South Africa’s equaliser.

Madugu, who is leading Nigeria to the final for the first time as head coach after previously serving as assistant, said it was not an easy game to manage from the touchline and admitted he was frustrated by how the game momentarily slipped from their grasp.

“At some point, we lost control and became careless, that was frustrating, but as a coach, you must stay composed and focus on encouraging your players, not adding to their pressure. We gathered them, reminded them of what was at stake, and they responded well.”

He added that the emotional scenes at the final whistle, when Rasheedat Ajibade broke down in tears and could not speak to the media, were a reflection of the match’s intensity and the impact of Gabriella Salgado’s injury late in the game.

“The game was intense, and when you work hard to achieve something and succeed, emotions overflow. Gabriella’s injury was painful. Everyone was concerned, even the opposing bench. We pray for her full recovery,” Madugu said.

The Falcons will be chasing a historic 10th WAFCON title when they step out in Rabat, buoyed by a semi-final performance that tested their mental toughness and unity under pressure.