Latest news with #SuperFalcons
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Nigeria vs South Africa Wafcon semi-finals match preview
Nigeria and South Africa go put leg for one trouser for di Women Africa Cup of Nations, Wafcon, semi-finals. Di Super Falcons of Nigeria wey be nine-time champions and di Bayana Bayana of South Africa wey be di defending champions go renew dia rivalry for dis match. Evritin dey to play for, di Super Falcons get 'Mission X' and dem wan go evritin to win dia 10th title. Di Bayana Bayana get 'Mission title defence' to keep di trophy wey dem win for 2022. Super Falcons Coach, Justin Madugu and Desiree Ellis wey win di Caf Best Coach of di Year, Women category dey expected to show dia tactics for di match wey go suit dia missions. Any team wey win dis match go qualify for di finals wey go happun on Saturday July 26, 2025. South Africa dey hope to beat Nigeria as dem bin do for 2022 while Nigeria dey hope to revenge dia 2022 loss. Match facts Dis na di 12th time wey dem dey meet for Wafcon and dia 8th meeting back to back since 2006, na for 1998 and 2004 dem no meet each oda. Nigeria get upper hand for dia history of Wafcon. Dem bin don beat South Africa eight times wey include one penalty shootout for di 2018 final while South Africa win three. Dia first eva Wafcon meeting na for di 2000 final wen Nigeria beat hosts South Africa 2-0. Di Current South Africa Coach Desiree na di captain dat time. For di 2002 semi-final, Nigeria bin win 5-0 , na dia biggest win eva against dia rivals South Africa. Nigeria and South Africa don jam five times for di group stage. Wetin di coaches tok Super Falcons coach, Justin Madugu say "We don prepare well, di girls dey good and determined, dem be a good team, dem dey prepared" Im add say South Africa get a veri good team and dem must appreciate and respect wetin dem don do from dia first game reach dis stage. Di Super Falcons say wit di performance of im players, e dey hard for am to pick im first eleven sake of say all of dem sabi wetin dem dey do. "E no easy to pick first eleven, wen you get ladies wey evribody dey show desire, evribody wan play and evribody dey work , and you kon say out of 21 na only 11 go start e no easy. Sometimes you go just dey look dem dey watch. Na why you go dey watch evritin wey dem dey do so dat you fit pick one small tin wey go give one player advantage, na dos small small tins wey be say no be for inside field sef na im you go take decide who you go start wit." For South Africa Coach Desiree Ellis, she no tink say dem need to tell di new players anytin about di Nigeria and South Africa rivalry. "Di motivation wey we get no be to just play Nigeria but na say we dey semi-final, wen e come to semi-final, na more of mental work and believe say you fit overcome. Evri game dey different , na different game, different tournament and three years down di line wey we last beat Nigeria, we no dey look back, we dey look forward and we need to step up to do di job."
The Citizen
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Banyana or Nigeria? Who will win the battle of the best?
The top two sides in Africa go head-to-head in the WAFCON semifinals. Desiree Ellis is looking to win a second WAFCON in a row with Banyana Banyana. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix Banyana Banyana and Nigeria – the top two sides on the continent – will meet on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in what promises to be a titanic battle. Desiree Ellis' Banyana are the reigning African champions, and determined to defend a title they won for the first time three years ago. Nigeria have worn the WAFCON crown a record nine times, and the Super Falcons gave a sign of their intent to get it back from Banyana in the quarterfinals, hammering Zambia 5-0. Banyana will hope they do not have too many tired legs at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Tuesday, after a quarterfinal that went all the way to penalties against Senegal. It is Ellis' side, however, who may hold a psychological edge, having beaten Nigeria in 2022, in the group stages of the WAFCON en route to winning the title. Banyana also beat Nigeria in the group stages at the previous WAFCON in 2018, though it was the Super Falcons who turned the tables on Ellis' side in the final, winning on penalties to capture that ninth crown. It is also Nigeria who are ranked higher on the continent than Banyana, and Randy Waldrum's side are favourites to win on Tuesday, priced by Betway at 1.75. Banyana are surely worth an outside bet at 4.40, however, with the draw at 3.30. Also on Tuesday, Ghana will play host Morocco in the other WAFCON semifinal at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. Morocco are heavy favourites to reach at second successive final, priced at 1.54 to Ghana's 5.60 with a draw at 3.65. Morocco forward Ghizlane Chebbak is one to look out for – she bagged four goals in the group stages including a hat trick against DR Congo. Please note that the Betway odds are correct at the time of writing and subject to change.
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
We must play like the champions we are
'Hopefully we can go to the final and bringing the cup back home would be the cherry on top,' added the Banyana forward. Gabriela Salgado says Banyana are ready to take on Nigeria in the WAFCON semifinals on Tuesday. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix Banyana Banyana forward Gabriela Salgado says it is up to South Africa to show they are the best in the continent when they take on the Super Falcons of Nigeria on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). ALSO READ: Chiefs out to set stall for new season in Toyota Cup Banyana are defending the title they won three years ago, beating Nigeria along the way and hosts Morocco in the final to become African champions for the first time. Banyana have the form If Nigeria have the continental pedigree, with nine WAFCON titles to their name, it is Banyana who have the recent form. Banyana have beaten Nigeria in two of their last three meetings at a WAFCON finals. 'We are defending champions, we must just go and play like the champions we are,' Salgado said ahead of Tuesday's game at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca. 'We have the whole country behind us and our families at home, they are backing us and believe in us. It is just about believing in ourselves, in each other and playing the football we know how to play. Whatever chances we get, we need to take them.' If they can get past Nigeria, Banyana would be odds on for a second straight WAFCON title. 'Hopefully we can go to the final and bringing the cup back home would be the cherry on top,' added Salgado, who missed out on the last WAFCON triumph through injury. 'Being in a final would be amazing (personally),' she said. 'The team is prepared' 'But my teammates play a big role too. We are a good group of players who celebrate each other's wins. In women's football we boost each other, we want each other to succeed. But to succeed for myself and my fans would (also) be something incredible. ALSO READ: Sundowns' Cardoso reacts to being honoured in Portugal 'The team is prepared. We are ready and know what we have to do.'
eNCA
12 hours ago
- Sport
- eNCA
African giants clash in WAFCON semis
MOROCCO - The Women's African Cup of Nations is back in action this Tuesday night, with Banyana Banyana taking on record-time winners, the Super Falcons of Nigeria. The South Africans are bidding to defend the title they won in 2022, and face a tough clash for a place in the final. Their 4-1 penalty-shootout win over Senegal set up a clash with Nigeria, who crushed Zambia 5-0 in the quarter-finals. The Super Falcons are chasing a record-stretching tenth title on the continent, while Banyana know that a win tonight gives them a fighting chance of retaining their crown. In the other matches, tournament hosts Morocco will be looking to secure a home-final berth for a second straight tournament, after they lost to South Africa 3-years ago.
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Continental giants clash in Wafcon 2024 semi-finals
There are two intriguing semi-final clashes in store at the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco on up, nine-time champions Nigeria have a mouth-watering tie against defending champions South Africa in Casablanca at 16:00 in Rabat, hosts Morocco face Ghana, the lowest-ranked side remaining, at 19:00 is still a chance we could see a repeat of the 2022 final, when Banyana Banyana beat the Atlas Lionesses 2-1, back in the capital on Saturday and expectation would point towards a meeting between Nigeria and Morocco, while an all-West African affair could add an extra element to a tournament that has already provided plenty of talking and Ghana would be first-time winners, while the Confederation of African Football has doubled the prize pot for the victors to $1m and also unveiled a new trophy. A rivalry renewed Nigeria delivered a statement to the rest of the continent when they thrashed much-fancied Zambia 5-0 in Casablanca in the last Super Falcons striker Desire Oparanozie described the scoreline as "unexpected" but saw a vast improvement from their outings from the group stage."The Super Falcons have that winning mentality - they show up for big games," she told Sportsworld on the BBC World Service."They showed who the African giant really is."The onus is now on the West Africans to back up that comprehensive performance against another of the continent's top sides when they return to the Larbi Zaouli Stadium."We hope to keep this mentality," goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie told the BBC World Service."Big games define Nigeria."While they are yet to concede in their quest for a record-extending 10th Wafcon crown - a bid that has been dubbed Mission X - South Africa will pose the most difficult challenge holders squeezed past Senegal 4-1 on penalties after a 0-0 draw and have had 24 hours less to recover from those exertions – as well as travelling west from the city of Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says her players will not use that as an excuse."One hundred and 20 minutes with a day less to prepare, with a day to travel, takes a lot out of you."But I don't have enough words to describe this team: the resilience, the courage, the never-say-die attitude, the willing to fight for each other."Nigeria got the better of South Africa in the Wafcon final in both 2000 and 2018, but Ellis' side triumphed 2-1 when they met in the group stage three years ago."They are the defending champions and the pressure is really on them," Oparanozie said."The rivalry has been on for years and the semi-final is going to be a tough one for Nigeria."The Mission X agenda has been pushed. South Africa seemed to be the only team that would actually prevent Nigeria from achieving that." Atlas Lionesses eye return to final The tournament hosts remain on track for a second successive appearance in the final after easing past Mali fervent home crowd at the 21,000-capacity Olympic Stadium is expected in the capital to cheer on the Atlas Lionesses."The public that has come to the stadium has helped us from the first moment," coach Jorge Vilda said."It has always been like that and we hope it will be the same in the semi-final. What we have in our head is the intention to reach the final."Ghana are back in the last four for the first time since 2016, having overcome Algeria on penalties after a scrappy 0-0 draw on coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren is not fazed by the likelihood of a partisan crowd and thinks his side could feed off any nerves amongst the home fans."It can help you if you have a good day as a home country, but I know it can be the opposite," the Swede said."I know how quiet it can be, even if you are 21,000 or whatever you will be. If we score a goal, the boost it will give us will be huge, and you can change how you think about the situation."We know they have quality, but like all teams they have their weaknesses as well."Vilda is aiming for his second major trophy after guiding Spain to the Women's World Cup in to Moroccan journalist Saad Moufakkir, the 44-year-old has added extra layers to the North Africans' game since his appointment in October 2023."He brings the Spanish vibe and now we are better as a unit," he said."We are confident we can finish games earlier. With this coach, especially on the tactical level, I think we have a lot of weapons."We can attack from the wings, we can go through the middle and we can press high or sit back and wait for the counters. We have got options and I think this is the biggest impact [he had on] the national team."
