Nigeria Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum said the team is now focused on winning their 10th title ahead of Monday’s WAFCON 2022 semi-final against hosts Morocco.
The Super Falcons defeated arch rivals, Cameroon 1-0 in the quarter-finals to book a place in next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Waldrum, while speaking at his pre-match conference, said the team had achieved their first aim which was to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.
The Atlas Lionesses have won all their four games at the continental tournament so far but against the Super Falcons, they face a very experienced team that knows a thing or two about reaching the final.
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Monday’s clash is a record 12th time Nigeria will be featuring in the semifinals of the WAFCON and they have won nine times falling short only in 2008 and 2012.
Nigeria, which has already experienced defeat in this tournament after falling to rival South Africa 2-1 in their opening match, does not wish to experience the same emotions as they did two weeks ago.
“Coming into the WAFCON, our goal was to qualify for the World Cup and we have done that.
“Now, we have turned our focus on winning our 10th title and we want to do exactly that.
“We know that Morocco will have the home crowd behind them but we shall be up for the challenge,” Waldrum said with confidence.
Speaking in the same vein, 28-year-old seasoned midfielder, Sonia Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene, asserted that the Super Falcons wouldn’t be intimidated by the fervent support the hosts are certain to get tonight.
“We have played against teams playing at home and we know how to manage games like this.
“We do not care about how many people are in the stadium. We shall come into this game with the sole purpose of winning and going to the final.”
Nigeria must be aware of Morocco’s propensity for scoring from dead balls after they scored all seven of their goals—three from the penalty spot and four from free kicks—in excellent fashion. Captain Ghizlane Chebbak led the team in execution, scoring two penalties.
Along with Rasheedat Ajibade, the face of Nigeria, Chebbak leads the tournament in goals scored with three.
This is especially true since Asisat Oshoala, the four-time defending African Player of the Year, was injured in their opening match against South Africa.
Both teams feature the finest defensive setups in the competition, have only given up twice throughout the tournament, and both managers are working hard to figure out how to exploit their rivals.
The eagerly anticipated semifinal will be shown live in Morocco on SuperSport, BeIN, and Arryadia TV at 2100 local time from the Moulay Abdallah Stadium in Rabat.