- Super Falcons aim to maintain unbeaten record against South Africa in today’s crucial Olympic ticket qualifying match in Pretoria
- Despite South Africa’s victories elsewhere, they’ve never defeated Super Falcons on home soil; Nigeria leads in previous encounters
Nigeria’s Super Falcons are poised to face South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in today’s final 2024 Olympics ticket qualifying series match.
Arriving in Pretoria yesterday, the Super Falcons are determined to uphold their unbeaten record against South Africa in senior women’s football on their home soil.
South Africa has never defeated the Super Falcons on their home turf since their resounding 7-1 victory over Banyana Banyana in Johannesburg on 19th March 1995 during a FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying match.
Out of the 24 previous encounters between the two teams, with seven matches played in South Africa, Nigeria has emerged victorious 15 times, with five draws and South Africa winning four times. Notably, Nigeria secured victory in a penalty shootout during the final match of the 11th Women Africa Cup of Nations in Accra.
Despite South Africa’s victories in other locations, including Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, and Morocco, they are yet to clinch a win against the Falcons in matches played in South Africa. Nigeria has won five out of seven previous encounters within South Africa, with two ending in draws.
The Super Falcons’ delegation for Tuesday’s crucial match arrived in Pretoria on Monday morning and settled into their hotel before official training at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night.
The match will kick off at 7:30 PM South African time (6:30 PM Nigeria time).
Nigeria’s captain Rasheedat Ajibade has been instrumental in recent encounters, scoring the team’s last two goals against Banyana Banyana.
In a separate development, Nigeria’s U15 boys, known as Future Eagles, have been denied visas by the Spanish embassy, preventing them from participating in the UEFA U16 Development Tournament in Spain.