WAFCON 2024: Super Falcons Grab the Cup for the 10th Time

If you love sports, you are Nigerian, and you have been following the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) back-to-back, this win will totori your body just the way it’s sweeting us too.

From the qualifiers to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and now finals, the Super Falcons have been showing out and giving their best at every turn. These heroines wearing jerseys have excelled in every country’s football field they have played on and against any national team that has the liver to play ball with them.

This time, they did it all over again. Omo, spectators and fans literally held their breath during the final match at Morocco’s Olympic Stadium, as the first half went down with no goals from our Falcons.

Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses were beating us wetin no good – 2–0 (omo, it was looking like these women were out for blood, and we had been pushed to the wall), but sha trust our girls na, they came back with laser focus and scored not one but three goals, giving us a win that was simply unimaginable (the boys on my street were literally shouting for 90 mins+, you needed to have heard the excitement).

As we dey gyrate and celebrate, they are winning back-to-back accolades… Oya see o:

1. Woman of the Competition

Rasheedat Ajibade popularly known as Captain Falcon, takes the honor home for leading the team to victory with some of the best performances to ever grace Africa’s football fields.

If you didn’t know, she is a seasoned 25-year-old professional footballer who plays in the Nigeria women’s national team – The Super Falcons as a midfielder and in the Spanish Liga F club, Atlético Madrid, as a forward. She started off as a rookie in 2018, and before taking to football professionally, she was a skater who later conquered the streets of Lagos and the continent as a freestyle football champion.

To add extra spice, she is the fourth product of the Lagos-based Nigeria Women Football League outfit alongside six-time CAF Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala, Folashade Ijamilusi, and Shukurat Oladipo in the Super Falcons’ WAFCON 2024 squad.

The history lesson is over. We are moving on to the next.

2. Best Goalkeeper

If you don’t have a goalkeeper like Chiamaka Nnadozie on your team, just know you are cooked because who will catch the ball and save the day like she does!? Give it up for the best goalkeeper with some goalkeeping heroics (no cap).

If you didn’t know, Chiamaka goes beyond the national team; she also plays as a goalkeeper for Brighton & Hove Albion in the Women’s Super League.

This 24-year-old professional footballer began her goalkeeping career in 2016 at Rivers Angels FC, a Nigerian club, and now she’s one of the goalkeeping wonders of the world (talmbout a young girl with a big God, big goals, and great catch).

3. Coach of the Tournament

When CAF said, “With a coach like him, you just have to strike gold. Your Coach of the Tournament is none other than him.” We couldn’t detect any lies whatsoever.

Word on the street is that through Justine Pwanidi Madugu, the Super Falcons have rediscovered their competitive edge and reclaimed their winning streak after almost six years of not bringing the trophy home, (FYI, the last time we won was in 2018).

The 56-year-old football coach, manager, and Nigeria football official was once not liked, especially after coming on board in 2024, but you know that success shuts the haters up, and that’s exactly what played out.

4. Woman of the Match

No cap, eyan fans mi, awards just dey rush us and we are proud o! Give it up for Okoronkwo Esther, the final’s TotalEnergies Woman of the Match, inspiring Nigeria’s impressive comeback!

Born in Abia State, Nigeria and raised in Richmond, Texas, Esther is not a newbie in the world of professional football. The Super Falcons’ striker, who also plays as a forward for Canadian Northern Super League club AFC Toronto, is hailed as the heroine who got us to the winning podium, with one goal and two assists as Nigeria’s Super Falcons completed their ‘Mission X’ by winning.

Esther, from us to you, we say a huge thank you. Thank you for not letting us see shame at WAFCON 2024. After you na you, sha!