The Super Falcons of Nigeria trashed Cape Verde 5-0 in a 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualification first-leg match. THE ATHLETIC NG reports.
Uchenna Kanu and Esther Okoronkwo both scored twice plus one goal by Gift Monday to seal a 5-0 trashing of Cape Verde by Nigeria in the first leg of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The match was played on Thursday, November 30, 2023 at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
To reach the final qualifying round, Nigeria walked over São Tomé and Príncipe while Cape Verde flourished in a 6-3 aggregate win over Liberia.
Nine-time African champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria were near-perfect to take a convincing first-leg win In Abuja.
US-based striker Uchenna Kanu scored the games opening goal in the seventh minute to set foundation for a big-win.
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie made a stunning save to deny Cape Verde an equalizer minutes later.
The Coach Justin Madugu tutored Nigerian ladies were two-goals up when Tenerife forward, Gift Monday doubled the lead for the Falcons from a goal-mouth scramble in the 25th minute..
Nigeria dominated the encounter and got a deserved third when Uchenna Kanu finished off a pass from Sevilla midfielder, Toni Payne as the Falcons won 3-0 at the break.
Esther Okoronkwo came on as a substitute in the 53rd minute, and got on the scoresheet soon after with a sublime finish from Akudo Ogbonna’s cross.
Eleven minutes later, Esther Okoronkwo grabbed her second of the match as she pounced on Rofiat Imuran’s cross to make it 5-0 for Nigeria.
It finished 5-0, Nigeria recording their biggest win in a competitive fixture since beating Equatorial Guinea 6-0 at the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2018.
Cape Verde and Nigeria will meet again for the second leg on December 5, 2023 at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde in Praia.
The aggregate winner of this match will qualify for the 2023 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
