Hello sports lovers!
I trust you're doing well and having the best of the weekend.
My last report about the ongoing WAFCON 2024 in Morocco stopped at the preview of the first set of matches between Nigeria & Zambia and Morocco & Mali.
Just like I stated, the match between Nigeria and Zambia was the most talked-about match so far in the tournament before that day. The Zambians took over social media with full hype and confidence, assuring themselves of beating us (Nigerians).
Guess what? That match turned out to be the easiest of all the matches we've played so far. The Super Falcons of Nigeria didn’t just score 1, 2, or 3 but a whole 5 unreplied goals. Isn't that surprising?
I watched the match from the beginning to the end, and it was so interesting and shocking how the two highly-rated players of Zambia were not able to make an impact. They couldn’t even manage a shot, not even an off-target one.
The Morocco vs Mali match was also an interesting one. Morocco beat Mali 3 goals to 1, and there has been controversial talk about how the Moroccans have been awarded penalties in all their matches. Is that just the benefit of being the host, or is there something we don't know? We are yet to find out.
The following day, after those matches, the second set of the quarterfinals came into play. The first match was between Algeria and Ghana, and the second was South Africa vs Senegal.
The match between Algeria and Ghana ended in a goalless draw, and after the extra 30 minutes, they headed to a penalty shootout, and luck fell on the Ghanaians. They won 4 goals to 2.
The match between South Africa and Senegal also ended goalless after the 30 minutes of extra time. It also went to a penalty shootout, and luck fell on the South Africans, with 4 goals to 1.
Now, the tournament is left with just four nations heading to the semifinals: Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, and South Africa.
I'll bring you the semifinal match fixtures tomorrow.
Thanks for reading.
Photo: Caf Women