Super Falcons set to end Banyana Banyana’s WAFCON ambition

Nine-time African champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria have said they are determined to abort the title-retaining dreams of Cup holders South Africa when both sides clash in the second semi-final of the 13th Women AFCON finals in Casablanca on Tuesday. In the competition’s 27-year history, the Super Falcons have never failed to make the […]

Nine-time African champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria have said they are determined to abort the title-retaining dreams of Cup holders South Africa when both sides clash in the second semi-final of the 13th Women AFCON finals in Casablanca on Tuesday.

In the competition’s 27-year history, the Super Falcons have never failed to make the semi-finals, and boastful Zambia turned out to be too weak to shred that record when both teams met in the quarter finals on Friday, an encounter from which the Super Falcons ran out 5-0 winners.

South Africa’s Banyana Banyana have been traditionally a miserable opposition to the Nigerian girls for decades. It took the girls from the Rainbow Nation 17 years, after a first meeting in March 1995, to secure a win over the Falcons – a 1-0 win in a Women AFCON match in Equatorial Guinea 13 years ago.

Before then, they serially suffered, their take-homes including 7-1 and 5-0 drubbings.

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The Banyana netted another Women AFCON win in Ghana in 2018 (group stage), but suffered heartbreak in a penalty shootout in the final that earned Nigeria a 9th continental title.

Three years ago, the Banyana again had the upper hand in a group stage match (2-1) and went on to win their first African title after beating host nation Morocco (penalty shootout winners over Nigeria in the semi-finals) in the final.

Debate has been fierce over the past few weeks as to which team is the best in Africa, between the Falcons and the Banyana, and that question should be properly attended to at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium this evening.