Eguavoen aims for Olympic gold with Falcons

Super Falcons interim coach Augustine Eguavoen says Nigeria has moved past their disappointment in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. They are now looking to win Olympic gold as they prepare for their third-round qualifying match against Morocco.

Eguavoen made these comments after the 10-time African champions defeated Comoros 5-0 in the second leg on Tuesday in Ikenne. This win gave Nigeria a 7-0 aggregate victory.

“At the first meeting we had, we collectively agreed that we put the WAFCON disappointment behind us and set our eyes on the gold medal in the Olympics,” Eguavoen said.

The coach recognized that the Falcons would face stronger teams as they move forward in the qualifying rounds. But he remains confident in the talent of the players in the squad.

“Going forward, we expect to meet tougher oppositions, no doubt about that. Super Falcons are number one in Africa. We have the quality, we have the personnel, we have the support,” he added.

Eguavoen also commended his players for their performance in Ikenne. He noted that their hard work in training showed on the field.

“I am very, very happy. Congratulations to the girls. They made my day,” he said.

Unfortunately, the win was marred by an injury to captain Rasheedat Ajibade. She had to leave the game in the first half after a collision.

Eguavoen said Ajibade was taken to the hospital for an MRI scan to check how serious the injury was. He added that the medical team would provide updates as they got more information.

“Unfortunately, we lost Ajibade early in the game, but I think and I hope and I pray that the injury is very minute,” he said.

The coach also highlighted Blessing Okpe, who came on at half-time and made an instant impact. Okpe, who joined the squad late, assisted Toni Payne’s second goal and won the penalty that Christy Ucheibe converted. Eguavoen said her performance proved why he called her up after hearing about her goal-scoring in the Belarusian league.

Nigeria had won the first leg 2-0. Payne started the scoring in the return match before Uchenna Kanu scored twice after the break. Payne got another goal, and Ucheibe scored from the penalty spot to finish the 5-0 win and set up a third-round clash with Morocco.