Nigeria begin WAFCON bid with win over Tunisia …Senegal brush aside DR Congo

 Nigeria kicked off their quest for a record-extend­ing 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAF­CON) title with a confident 3-0 victory over Tunisia in Casablanca.

Former Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala opened the scoring for the Super Falcons in the fourth minute when the 30-year-old pounced on a low inswinging free-kick delivered by Rinsola Babajide from the left flank and bundled the ball home amid a scramble in the Tunisian box.

Babajide, who previously featured for England at youth level before switching allegiance to Nigeria in 2023, doubled the lead in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.

The winger fired clinically past Tunisia goalkeeper Soulaima Jobrani, marking her first ever goal at a senior international tournament.

Chinwendu Ihezuo got Nigeria’s third at the Stade Larbi Zaouli with six minutes remaining after convert­ing a cross from Ashleigh Plumptre.

The win puts Nigeria top of Group B on goal difference ahead of Algeria, who beat Botswana 1-0 thanks to Ghoutia Karchouni’s 10th-minute effort.

Senegal produced a first-half demolition of DR Congo to register a comfortable 4-0 win and move top of Group A.

Forwards Mama Diop and Ngeunar Ndiaye both scored two goals before half-time as the power­ful Lionesses of Teranga frontline ripped into a fragile and disorganised rearguard.

The first three goals, all netted in­side the opening 22 minutes, all came from simple long balls in behind the DR Congo defence.

The West Africans cruised through a goalless second half in which their opponents were marginally more competitive, with both sides hitting the woodwork.

—BBC