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No hiding place for Super Falcons, Lionesses vow

By Gowon Akpodonor
27 November 2018   |   4:14 am
The head coach of the Lionesses of Cameroon, Joseph Ndoko says the Super Falcons of Nigeria must pay the ‘big prize’ this afternoon...

Twitter/NG Super Falcons

• We are motivated to beat Cameroon, says Ebi
The head coach of the Lionesses of Cameroon, Joseph Ndoko says the Super Falcons of Nigeria must pay the ‘big prize’ this afternoon, when they clash in the semifinal of the 2018 African Women Nations Cup in Accra, Ghana.

In the final of the 2014 edition of the championship in Namibia, as well as 2016 held in Cameroon, the Falcons denied the Lionesses the opportunity of winning the AWC title. The coach says today’s clash would be a revenge mission for his side, particularly for their defeat in front of their president Paul Biya in the final two years ago in Yaoundé.

The Lionesses parade one of the best attacks of all eight teams participating in the tournament, and Coach Ndoko is banking on top strikers like former African best player, Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene, Nchout Adjara, Mikaela Abam and Gaelle Enganamouit to ‘destroy’ the Falcons.

Assistant coach of the Lionesses, a former player of Delta Queens FC of Asaba, Bernadette Annong, also said yesterday that it would be a sad story for her team to lose to the Super Falcons this time.

The Lionesses bagged seven points from three matches to top Group A, beating Mali and Algeria and drawing with hosts Ghana in a match that saw the host team eliminated. Nigeria finished second in Group B with six points behind seven–pointer South Africa.

Meanwhile, Cup holders Nigeria is confident of winning today’s match at the Accra Sports Stadium.

“We are in great spirit for the semi final match with the Cameroonians,” team captain Onome Ebi told thenff.com. “We made our mistake against South Africa, and I think it was a great wake-up call for us. That defeat told us something: that we should never under-rate any team and that we must be ready to give our 100 per cent for every match.

“We will give everything we have to get past the Lionesses and qualify for the World Cup, and then we can battle the final with whichever team we meet there.”

On her part, Desire Oparanozie, whose goal saw the host team sucking at their thumbs two years ago, has netted twice in this tournament, same as all –action winger Francisca Ordega, with Asisat Oshoala boasting a hat-trick against Equatorial Guinea, and other goals by Rasheedat Ajibade, Rita Chikwelu and Amarachi Okoronkwo.

The winner this afternoon earns an automatic ticket to next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France, with the loser having another opportunity as the third placed team will also get a ticket.

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