Paris 2024: Nigeria is poised to face South Africa in an intense match in Pretoria on Tuesday night, aiming to uphold their unbeaten record against South Africa in senior women’s football.
Since their emphatic 7-1 victory over Banyana Banyana in Johannesburg on March 19, 1995, Nigeria’s dominance has continued. However, despite the narrowing gap between the teams, South Africa is yet to secure a win over the Super Falcons in any match played in their homeland.
In their 24 previous encounters, with seven played in South Africa, Nigeria has clinched victory 15 times, with five matches ending in draws, while South Africa has managed four wins. Notably, one of the drawn games concluded with Nigeria triumphing 4-3 after a penalty shootout in the final of the 11th Women Africa Cup of Nations in Accra.
South Africa’s victories came in various locations:
Bata, Equatorial Guinea (1-0, 2012 Women AFCON); Cape Coast, Ghana (1-0, 2018 Women AFCON); Lagos, Nigeria (4-2, Aisha Buhari Cup); and Rabat, Morocco (2-1, 2022 Women AFCON).
Within South Africa, Nigeria has won five encounters and drawn two. The Banyana Banyana have held the Super Falcons to draws twice: in Athens Olympic qualifiers on March 12, 2004 (2-2) and in a friendly match on June 3, 2012 (1-1).
The Super Falcons’ delegation arrived in Pretoria on Monday morning, preparing for the pivotal match at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night.
The match is scheduled to commence at 7:30 pm South African time (6:30 pm Nigeria time). Nigeria’s recent goals against Banyana Banyana were scored by captain Rasheedat Ajibade, who found the net in a 2-1 defeat in Rabat on July 4, 2022, and converted a penalty in the win over South Africa in Abuja on Friday evening.
FALCONS, BANYANA IN HISTORY
4 Mar 1995: Nigeria 4 South Africa 1 (WCq)
19 Mar 1995: South Africa 1 Nigeria 7 (WCq)
25 Nov 2000: South Africa 0 Nigeria 2 (WAfcon)
18 Dec 2002: Nigeria 5 South Africa 0 (WAfcon)
30 Mar 2003: South Africa 0 Nigeria 3 (Friendly)
11 Oct 2003: Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (AfGames)
12 Mar 2004: South Africa 2 Nigeria 2 (Oq)
28 Mar 2004: Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (Oq)
9 July 2007: South Africa 2 Nigeria 2 (AfGames)
18 July 2007: South Africa 0 Nigeria 4 (AfGames)
28 July 2008: Nigeria 5 South Africa 0 (Oq)
12 Aug 2008: South Africa 0 Nigeria 1 (Oq)
22 Nov 2008: South Africa 0 Nigeria 1 (WAfcon)
4 Nov 2010: South Africa I Nigeria 2 (WAfcon)
3 June 2012: South Africa 1 Nigeria 1 (Friendly)
23 June 2012: Nigeria 0 South Africa 0 (Friendly)
7 Nov 2012: South Africa 1 Nigeria 0 (WAfcon)
22 Oct 2014: South Africa 1 Nigeria 2 (WAfcon)
29 Nov 2016: Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (WAfcon)
18 Nov 2018: South Africa 1 Nigeria 0 (WAfcon)
1 Dec 2018: Nigeria 0 South Africa 0 (WAfcon) – Nigeria triumphed 4-3 penalties
21 Sept 2021: Nigeria 2 South Africa 4 (Aisha Buhari Cup)
4 July 2022: South Africa 2 Nigeria 1 (WAfcon)
5 April 2024: Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (Oq)
UEFA Tourney: Future Eagles fly to Spain on Tuesday
Nigeria’s U15 boys, known as the Future Eagles, are set to embark on a journey to Spain on Tuesday afternoon to participate in a UEFA U16 Development Tournament, where they have received a special invitation due to Nigeria’s esteemed reputation in youth football.
The invitation is a testament to Nigeria’s success in youth football, having secured five world titles at the U17 boys’ level and reaching the FIFA World Cup final twice at the U20 level.
To prepare for the tournament, the Future Eagles underwent a week-long training session at the Remo Stars’ Sports Institute in Ikenne. During this period, they played two matches against the Remo Stars’ U16 boys (Beyond Limits FC), winning one and losing the other.
Just last month, the Future Eagles, under the guidance of coach Patrick Bassey, engaged in a two-match tour of Morocco, where they emerged victorious in one game and suffered defeat in the other. They displayed resilience by bouncing back from a 2-3 loss in the first match to secure a 5-3 victory in the second game in Kenitra.
The UEFA U16 Tournament will be held at the Pinatar Arena Football Centre in San Pedro del Pinatar, evoking memories of the UEFA-CAF U17 Meridian Tournament that commenced in 1997 but was discontinued a decade later. Nigeria clinched the inaugural tournament in 1997 by defeating the Spain U17 team 3-2 in the final in Lisbon, Portugal.
In this upcoming tournament, the Future Eagles are scheduled to face Belgium on Friday, April 12th (8pm), Italy on Sunday, April 14th (8pm), and England on Wednesday, April 17th (1pm). Additional fixtures include England against Italy on Friday, April 12th (5pm), England against Belgium on Sunday, April 14th (5pm), and Italy against Belgium on Wednesday, April 17th (11am).
The Future Eagles’ delegation to Spain, consisting of 20 players, will be led by Zannah Mohammed Malah, a member of the NFF Technical and Development Committee.
