Sports Revelation Online ..breaking authenic sports reports
By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No.1 Women’s Football Journalist
We ‘ve done it girls…Captain Asisat Oshoala (No.8) celebrates Super Falcons victory over Mali
Two “gifted goals” late in the game scored by FC Robo of Lagos captain, Gift Monday, saved the day for Nigeria as the Super Falcons laboured to a 2-0 win over the Female Eagles of Mali in the opening match of the Lagos 6-Nation Invitational Friendly Matches holding at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan in Lagos Island.
The encounter was destined to end on a barren draw before Monday’s 80th minute looping header beat a badly positioned Mali goalkeeper for Nigeria’s first goal just as she also outpaced tired Mali defenders at the dead of time to poke in Nigeria’s second goal in the 90+1 minute.
Infact, the scoreline should flatter the Super Falcons who were pegged back for 80 minutes by Les Aiglonnes before the fellow West Africans caved in the last minutes of the encounter.
As warned earlier in Sportsrevelation reports, the Malians gave as much as they received especially the two attackers, Sebe Coulibaly of RC Saint-Denis and Aissata Traoré of Guingamp, France. Both ensured that veteran defender Onome Ebi had tough time at the back.
The first half of the encounter had end without a goal by the two teams, a situation which forced Super Falcons Head Coach Randy Waldrum to make three changes on resumption which later paid off.
Super Falcons players mob Gift Monday after scoring the first of hereto goals in Lagos.
Perhaps, the introduction of home-based Monday who plays in the domestic women’s league was the icing on the cake as she combined well with another substitute, Sweden-based Uchenna Kanu to deliver Nigeria from the shackles of Mali on the day.
Nigeria will savour this hard-earned victory over tough-fighting Mali until the last day of the competition when the Banyana Banyana of South Africa led by former inspirational captain and Head Coach, Desire Ellis will file out against the Super Falcons at same stadium.
South Africa had once in the Group B African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) Ghana 2018 defeated Nigeria by a lone goal courtesy of Thembi Kgatlana at Cape Coast Stadium, Ghana.Nigeria later beat them in the final via penalty shootout to lift the trophy.