Nine-time African champions, Super Falcons of Nigeria, yesterday defeated the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 in the first leg of their 2022 African Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier match.
The thrilling encounter took place at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The centre referee disallowed what could have been the first goal by Super Falcons in the 13th minute and gave a free-kick instead.
However, in the 21st minute, Esther Okoronkwo set up Ifeoma Onumonu inside the box to fire the Super Falcons in front from close range.
Onumonu bagged a brace in the 56th minute of the second half, as she lobbed the ball over the Ivorian goalkeeper to double the lead of the Super Falcons.
Former England youth international, Ashleigh Plumptre, made her international debut for Nigeria in the encounter.
The Super Falcons, who are nine-time African champions, managed to beat the Black Queens of Ghana 2-1 to get to the final stage of the qualifiers, while the Lady Elephants outscored the Niger Republic 20-0.
In 2019, the Lady Elephants eliminated the Super Falcons in the race to Tokyo Olympics.
Both teams will clash in the reverse fixture at the Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan on Wednesday with the winner earning the ticket to the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in July.
