Nigeria stun Morocco to seal 10th WAFCON title
Nigeria produced a sensational second-half comeback to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 and seal a record-extending 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title.
The Atlas Lionesses led 2-0 at the break in Rabat through Ghizlane Chebbak’s fine curling effort and a scuffed shot from Sanaa Mssoudy.
But Esther Okoronkwo inspired the West Africans after the break, pulling a goal back from the penalty spot in the 64th minute after Nouhaila Benzina handled Folamide Ijamilusi’s cross.
Okoronko burst into the Morocco box and squared for Ijamilusi to equalise in the 71st minute, then teed up substitute Jennifer Echegini to score the winner with two minutes of the game remaining.
The 21,000-capacity Olympic Stadium was stunned into silence as the Super Falcons players collapsed to the turf in celebrations at the final whistle after producing a seemingly unlikely revival that will live long in the memory.
Nigeria billed their campaign as Mission X and have achieved their target, reclaiming the title they last won in 2018 and preserving their 100% record in Wafcon finals.
Morocco, meanwhile, had hired 2023 Women’s World Cup-winning coach Jorge Vilda after he parted company with Spain in a bid to land their first continental crown, but have now lost back-to-back Wafcon finals.
The Super Falcons pick up $1m in prize money which has been doubled since the last edition and become the first side to lift the new-look Wafcon trophy.
However, the stadium had largely emptied out by the time Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Confederation of African Football counterpart Patrice Motsepe took to the stage for the presentation.
The 2024 edition of the tournament had been delayed because of scheduling issues last year, which included the participation of the West Africans and Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympics. —BBC
