12th AFRICAN GAMES
- Flying Eagles also eye gold against Burkina Faso
Nigeria’s dominance of cadet football in the continent continued on Thursday as the Falconets defeated Cameroon 3-2 in penalty shoot out to
emerge champions of the women’s football tournament of the 12th African Games in Rabat, Morocco.
The Nigerian U-20 girls battled the Cameroonians to standstill in the
keenly-contested game between two teams that had settled for a 1-1 draw in a group phase match eight days earlier.
The result was 0-0 after regulation and extra time at the Stade Boubker Aamar outside Rabat.
In the ensuing penalty shoot-out, the Nigeria U-20 girls, one of only four teams to have featured in every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since the competition started 17 years ago, triumphed.
The victory was the first gold for the Falconets at the African Games in 12 years, having not qualified for the 10th edition in Mozambique in 2011 and finishing outside the medals’ range in Brazzaville four years ago.
It was also a fitting accomplishment to bid bye to the first captain of the Falconets team, Ifeanyichukwu Chiejine, whose remains were committed to mother earth in Lagos on the same day.
Meanwhile, their male counterparts, 1973 champions Nigeria, will look to win their first gold in men’s football tournament of the African Games when they take on Burkina Faso in the final of the event in Rabat today.
The seven-time African champions edged a memorable encounter with Mali in the semi finals, which went into extra time, penalty shoot-out and sudden death session before they could be separated.
Burkina Faso’s U20 side also had to endure the gruel of penalty shoot-out to oust Senegal in the second semi final, and today’s battle for gold will be no contest for weak bones.
In the men’s bronze medal match played yesterday, Mali defeated Senegal 4-3 in penalty shoot out to claim the medal. Regulation and extra time ended goalless.