Super Falcons record their biggest won in five years as they thump Cape Verde in Nation Cup qualifier

NIGERIA'S Super Falcons secured their biggest win in over five years yesterday after beating Cape Verde 5-0 in the first leg of a 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

In a match that was the first leg of a tie against the Atlantic Ocean islanders, the Falcons managed to hit top gear, with strikers Uchenna Kanu and Esther Okoronkwo both getting a couple of goals each. In the first round, the Falcons had walked over São Tomé & Príncipe, while Cape Verde claimed an impressive 6-3 aggregate win over Liberia to set up yesterday's clash.

Gift Monday scored one of the goals in the 25th minute in a frantic first half before Esther Okoronkwo came off the bench to grab a brilliant double. This was after Kanu drew first blood for the Super Falcons when she found the net with an easy tap from the edge of the box in the seventh minute.

Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie made a stunning save to deny Cape Verde from equalizing shortly after. Pitts midfielder Deborah Abiodun then began running rings around the Cape Verdeans in midfield.

After that, it was Atletico Madrid midfielder Rasheedat Ajibade who came close to making it three in the 33rd minute but her fine effort flew narrowly wide. Nigeria would not be denied, however, as Kanu scored the third with her second of the match, latching on to Toni Payne’s brilliant pass just before halftime.

Esther Okoronkwo then replaced club teammate Monday in the 53rd minute and shortly after the hour mark and increased Nigeria’s lead to four with a sublime finish off Akudo Ogbonna’s cross. Then 11minutes later, Esther Okoronkwo grabbed her second of the match as she pounced on Rofiat Imuran’s cross to make it five.

This was Nigeria's biggest win in a competitive fixture since beating Equatorial Guinea 6-0 at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2018. Cape Verde and Nigeria will meet again for the second leg on December 5 at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde in Praia for the second leg.