LA 2028 Qualifiers: Super Falcons wallop Comoros 5-0, book third round ticket 

By Harry Awurumibe, Editor-in-Chief                                                                                                                                          Super Falcons put up a Five-star performance as Nigeria walloped Comoros 5-0 today in the second leg of the second round double-header of the 2028 Olympics Women’s Football Tournament African qualifiers played at Remo Stars International Stadium in Ikenne to qualify for the third round.

The interim head coach Augustine Owen Eguavoen-led had last Friday at the same venue beat hard fighting Comoros 2-0 and followed it up today with an emphatic 5-0 victory to eliminate Comoros by 7-0 aggregate score.

Expectedly, Eguavoen went with the same line up that beat Comoros in the time-tested cliché that “you can not change a winning team” and it worked out perfectly for him as the Super Falcons went for a win from the first blast of the referee’s whistle.

At the end, Italy-based Toni Payne and Uchenna Kanu of Cruz Azul Femenil, Mexico both scored a brace just as Saudi Arabia-based Christy Ucheibe converted a penalty to complete Nigeria’s five-goal thrashing of Comoros.

But the 10-time African champions could not break a resilient Comoros on the day until towards the end of the first half as Payne opened the scoring in the 41st minute, finishing off a well-worked move after an assist from Kanu to give Nigeria the lead before half-time.

On resumption, the Falcons out even forcefully with Kanu doubling Nigeria’s advantage in the 57th minute through a well-placed header from China based Folashade Ijamilusi’s well taken  cross.

Not done, Payne who didn’t get enough playing yime in the last  Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) but have now been well utilised by Eguavoen completed her brace seven minutes later, finding the net in the 64th minute after being set up by substitute Blessing Okpe to make it 3-0.

However, Kanu scored her second goal of the match and Nigeria’s fourth goal, heading home another excellent delivery from Ijamilusi to extend Nigeria’s lead in the 67th minute.

Super Falcons substitute Okpe was fouled inside the box of Comoros and the referee awarded a penalty to Nigeria in the 72nd minute which Ucheibe stepped up and calmly converted from the spot thus gifted Nigeria a 5-0 victory.

Nigeria by the result progressed to the third round of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualifiers and will next meet old rivals Morocco in what be a cracker in the West African country’s quest to reach the women’s football tournament in 2028 in Los Angeles, United States of America (USA).