Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
The Super Falcons defeated Black Queens of Ghana two-nil in the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos on Wednesday evening.
Uche Kanu scored a brace as the Super Falcons took a big step towards securing a place at the 2022 AWCON.
Reigning African champions bounced back from last month’s Aisha Buhari Cup loss to South Africa in a style.
For Ghana, they were seeking to avoid a second-ever absence from the continental showpiece, after failing to qualify for the 2012 edition of the competition staged in Equatorial Guinea but stumbled.
The 18th competitive fixture involving two of the continent’s women’s team lived up to its billing although the hosts enjoyed the bulk of ball possession in the opening 15 minutes of the encounter.
With a first-leg advantage victory, Nigeria recorded their 11th win over their West African rivals in 18 meetings and will aim to consolidate on their home lead to ensure their passage to the next round.
On the part of Ghana, coach Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo’s ladies will hope to overturn the two-goal deficit in the return leg at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 24.
The winner of the high-profile doubleheader after the Accra second leg showdown will set up a second-round date with either Niger or Cote d’Ivoire.