Nigeria swept to a 10^th Women Africa Cup of Nations title on Saturday night after a come-from-behind 3-2 defeat of hosts Morocco in a drama-filled Final in Rabat.

Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses had the full-capacity Stade Olympique de Rabat breathing heavily after a superlative opening performance that saw them take a two-goal lead after 24 minutes of the explosive encounter.

Captain Ghizlane Chebbak rifled home a well-placed shot from the edge of the box in the 13^th minute, capitalizing on an inadvertent pass by midfielder Halimatu Ayinde.

The Lionesses were smelling the trophy 11 minutes later, when Saana Mssoudy, receiving the ball from a cross on the right, darted past Michelle Alozie to smash past goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Five minutes before the break, Rasheedat Ajibade squared into the box as the Falcons pushed forward, but the ball agonizingly missed three of her team mates.

The Falcons, champions nine times in the 12 editions that had been held previously, stormed back in the second half with the famed Nigerian spirit, and started their fightback in the 64^th minute when the ubiquitous Esther Okoronkwo converted a penalty kick.

Vibrant, fit-fighting and energetic, Okoronkwo took matters into her own hands again seven minutes later, bulldozing her way into the Moroccan eighteen-yard box and then finding Folasade Ijamilusi who connected sweetly past the goalkeeper.

The hosts thought they had won a penalty in the 78^th minute when the ball struck defender Tosin Demehin’s hand, but after a long check with the Video Assistant Referee, Namibian referee Antsino Twanyanyukwa struck off the penalty award.

The Super Falcons were now in the ascendancy, and it was no surprise when substitute Jennifer Echegini gloriously swept home the third goal from another Esther Okoronkwo free-kick in the 88^th minute.

Nigeria captain Rasheedat Ajibade was named Player of the Tournament, while Africa’s best goalkeeper for the past two years, Chiamaka Nnadozie was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Victory earned Nigeria a one-million- dollar prize, and a successful ending to a Mission X campaign that caught on round the world like wildfire.

In the event, the Super Falcons decimated all three teams that had beaten them in the 2022 finals also staged in Morocco.

They defeated Zambia 5-0 in the quarter finals to avenge a third-place defeat by the Copper Queens in 2022. In the semi finals, they edged South Africa’s Banyana Banyana who had beaten them 2-1 in the group stage in 2022. In the final, they defeated the Atlas Lionesses that had beaten them on penalty shootout in the semi finals in 2022.

They also kept to their record of never losing a Women AFCON Final.   

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Nigeria produced a masterclass to drub Zambia 5-0 in a stunning Women Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final tie in Casablanca on Friday evening – a stunning performance that sent the nine-time champions to the semi finals and left the once-dreaded Zambians heading for home.

The performance and result left Africa bewildered, as the Zambians, who had shown incredible strength, ability and ambition in their previous three games, were completely overhauled and left for dead as early as it was time for recess.

Towering defender Osinachi Ohale, who netted when the Super Falcons mauled the Zambians 6-0 in a group stage match in Namibia 11 years ago, rose above everyone else to make a clever contact with the ball with her head and send the goalkeeper the wrong way, from Esther Okoronkwo’s free-kick, with only 100 seconds played.

The Nigerian girls, and for good reasons, celebrated with gusto, and thencefrom never looked back. They hustled and harried the Zambians from the wings and in the middle of the park, and even when the Zambians had the rare sight of goal, in the 21^st and 30^th minutes, goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and her land forces at the rear took care of things.

Jennifer Echegini worked tremendously hard in the middle, combining with Halimatu Ayinde and Okoronkwo, while captain Rasheedat Ajibade carried the team smartly as always, with Chinwendu Ihezuo and Folasade Ijamilusi, starting for the first time, always ready to put the feet of the Zambian rearguard to the fire.

Nigeria got the second goal they deserved in the 33^rd minute, and it was a classic. Echegini forcefully collected the ball in the middle, found Ashleigh Plumptre, who found her captain. Ajibade lofted the ball into the box, and Okoronkwo chested and swiftly dispatched it into the far corner.

Before recess, it was 3-0. Nnadozie sent out a long ball from her territory, which was helped backwards by a Zambian defender, freeing the lurking Ihezuo, who progressed with unceasing energy and picked the far angle.

In the second half, Nigeria did not have to do much other than to further cripple the vaunted potency of the duo of Barbra Banda and Rachael Kundananji, which they did effectively, and even added more goals.

Defender Tosin Demehin scored with a header from a dead ball on the right, and Ijamilusi, timing her run well, connected a pass from Ajibade to earn Nigeria’s fifth goal.

The result underscored the fact that Zambia still have much to learn to sit at the top table of African women football, and that though the Super Falcons may take things easy sometimes against the opposition, their venom and bite remain as poisonous and deadly as ever.

In the semi finals, Nigeria will take on the winner of Saturday’s quarter final game between Cup holders South Africa and Senegal.

Unsurprisingly, captain Rasheedat Ajibade was named the Woman of the Match, after overseeing the annihilation of a squad that deluded themselves into believing they are the new continental order.

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In an unprecedented turn of events, two Nigerian players, Victor Osimhen and Asisat Oshoala on Monday won the 2023 Africa Footballers of the Year Awards in Morocco.

It was a historical moment , the first time ever two players from the same country are holding both men and women Africa Footballers of the Year awards, Osimhen and Oshoala won both award on Monday night.

Victor Osimhen who won the 2023 Italian Serie A league with Napoli, was voted the 2023 Africa Footballer of the Year.

It is the first time Nigeria is winning the award since Kanu Nwankwo last did in 1999.

Oshoala, who plies her trade with Barcelona Feminine team in Spain, won the Africa Women’s Footballer of the Year Award after helping her team to win both the league and continental double last time.

She became the first woman ever in history to win the award SIX TIMES with the last three coming consecutively.

Also, Super Falcons goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie won the Best Goalkeeper Award while the Super Falcons won the Best Women National Team of the year.

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