The Super Falcons progressed with a 1-0 aggregate win and will probably face familiar foes South Africa in the last round of qualifiers.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria on Monday at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cameroon's Indomitable Lionesses as they continued their quest for a fourth Olympic Games ticket.
The slim win ensured the Super Falcons advanced to the final round of the African qualifiers for the women's football tournament, where they will probably face familiar foes in South Africa's Banyana Banyana, who defeated Tanzania 3-0 in the first leg.
The second leg comes up on Tuesday 27 February at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
The only goal of the match came in the 14th minute through Esther Okoronkwo, who tapped in after great work down the left flank by Jennifer Echegini.
The first leg between the two sides in Douala ended in a goalless draw, meaning the Super Falcons progressed with a 1-0 aggregate win.
Nigeria started the brighter of the two sides, with Toni Payne forcing a save from the Cameroonian goalkeeper early on.
They took the lead soon after, through Okoronkwo, who slotted home from close range.
Cameroon pushed for an equaliser throughout the game, but the Nigerian defence held firm.
The frustration boiled over in the second half when a Cameroonian player received a red card for a challenge on Chiamaka Nnadozie.
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Despite being a player down, Cameroon continued to press for a goal, but Nnadozie produced a string of impressive saves to preserve the win for the Super Falcons.
🏁FULL TIME! in Abuja 📍 Nigeria 🇳🇬 1-0 Cameroon 🇨🇲 (1-0 on agg) ⚽Esther Okoronkwo 14'We are through to the fourth round of the Caf Women's Olympic qualifier. We will face winner between South Africa 🇿🇦 or Tanzania 🇹🇿 in April#SoarSuperFalcons #CAFWOQ #NGACAM #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/A0FdPcR8IV-- NGSuper_Falcons (@NGSuper_Falcons) February 26, 2024
The final whistle blew with the score remaining 1-0, sending the Nigerian players and fans into jubilation. This victory marks a significant step for the Super Falcons on their journey back to the Olympics.
The Falcons, who last qualified for the games in 2008, will now most likely face South Africa in the final round of the qualifiers in April.
Zambia, Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia are in the second half of the draw for the second ticket from Africa.
