Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has told the Super Falcons not to let the country down when they face hosts Morocco in the semi-final of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tonight.
The nine-time champions of the continent’s biggest women’s football competition are up against their toughest test in this year’s WAFCON as they confront the hosts in front of a partisan crowd at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
While the Super Falcons are gunning for their 10th final and the same number of WAFCON titles, Morocco have never reached that stage in the competition.
The North Africans have had a rapid rise in women’s football in recent years and were impressive last September when they were in Lagos for the Aisha Buhari Invitational Tournament, where they upset Africa’s No.2 ranked team Cameroon.
“The match against Morocco will be perhaps the toughest hurdle for the Super Falcons here,” Pinnick said in Morocco yesterday.
“However, I have told them to think of our country and the teeming support back home, and the government that has shown them much love and encouragement.”
The Atlas Lionesses, cheered on by the home crowd, have won all their four games in the tournament so far, beating Senegal, Uganda and Burkina Faso in the group stage before overcoming Botswana in the quarter-finals to qualify for their maiden Women’s World Cup.
Pinnick charged the Super Falcons to invoke the ‘Nigerian spirit’ in their quest to conquer the hosts and keep their dream of title No.10 alive.
He added: “They must be dogged and exhibit as always, that unique Nigeria spirit that makes us to overcome challenges, hurdles and obstacles. I am confident that we will be in the final on Saturday.”
Although Morocco have come a long way since losing 8-0 to the Super Falcons in the inaugural WAFCON Nigeria hosted in 1998, the defending champions will also be the hosts’ toughest test in this competition.
The clash will kick off at 9pm, three hours after the kick-off of the first semi-final between South Africa and Zambia in Casablanca.
