Super Falcons of Nigeria Aim to Maintain Unbeaten Record Against Banyana in South Africa.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria are geared up for a thrilling encounter against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in Pretoria on Tuesday night, with the determination to uphold their flawless record of never losing to South Africa in their own country in senior women’s football.
Since their resounding 7-1 victory over Banyana Banyana in Johannesburg on March 19, 1995, during a 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying match, the Super Falcons have maintained dominance. Despite the narrowing gap between the teams, with South Africa showing improvement, Banyana Banyana is yet to secure a win against the Falcons on home soil.
In the 24 previous encounters between the two teams (seven played in South Africa), Nigeria emerged victorious in 15, with five draws and South Africa securing wins on four occasions. Notably, one of the drawn games was the final match of the 11th Women Africa Cup of Nations, which Nigeria eventually won 4-3 after a penalty shootout in Accra.
South Africa’s victories have occurred in various locations, including 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).
Of the seven previous encounters inside South Africa, Nigeria has won five and drawn two. The only instances where Banyana Banyana managed to hold the Falcons in South Africa were on March 12, 2004 (Athens Olympics qualifier ending 2-2) and a friendly match on June 3, 2012, ending 1-1.
The Super Falcons’ delegation arrived in Pretoria on Monday morning and settled in their hotel ahead of their official training at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night.
The highly anticipated match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 pm South African time (6:30 pm Nigeria time).
In recent encounters, Nigeria’s captain Rasheedat Ajibade has been instrumental, scoring the team’s last two goals against Banyana Banyana. She secured a consolation goal in the 2-1 defeat in Rabat on July 4, 2022, and converted a penalty for the win over the visitors in Abuja on Friday evening.
South Africa vs Nigeria match Details.Â
There’s an exciting match happening today, April 9, 2024, between South Africa and Nigeria! Here are the details:
Match
South Africa vs Nigeria
CAF Women’s Olympic Qualifier
South Africa vs Nigeria match Date: Today, Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Super Falcons vs Banyana Banyana Time: 6:30 PM Nigerian Time (WAT)
Banyana Banyana vs Super Falcons Venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa
This is the second leg of a two-legged qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Nigeria won the first leg 1-0.
The Super Falcons are ready to celebrate again!
Super Falcons vs Banyana Head to Head 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, nicknamed Future Eagles, will fly into Spain on Tuesday afternoon for a UEFA U16 Development Tournament to which the African giants have been invited.
The special invitation has come as a result of Nigeria’s pedigree in youth football, in which she has won five world titles at U17 boys’ level and reached the FIFA World Cup final on two occasions at U20 level.
As part of its preparation for the tournament, the Future Eagles trained for a week at the Remo Stars’ Sports Institute in Ikenne, during which it played two matches against the Remo Stars’ U16 boys (Beyond Limits FC), winning one and losing the other.
Only last month, the Future Eagles, coached by Patrick Bassey, also won one and lost one against their Moroccan counterparts on a two-match tour of that North African country. Their first game ended in a 2-3 defeat, but they buckled up to win the second game 5-3 in the city of Kenitra.
The UEFA U16 Tournament, which brings warm memories of the UEFA-CAF U17 Meridian Tournament that started in 1997 but was discontinued a decade after, will take place at the Pinatar Arena Football Centre in San Pedro del Pinatar.
It can be recalled that the UEFA-CAF Meridian Tournament was part of a cooperation agreement between UEFA and CAF, and Nigeria won the inaugural tournament in 1997. The Eaglets defeated the Spain U17 team 3-2 in the final in Lisbon, Portugal.
Spain won the next three tournaments hosted by South Africa (1999), Italy (2001) and Egypt (2003) before France broke their run by winning the 2005 edition hosted by Turkey. The tournament was abolished in 2007.
At this new tournament, the Future Eagles will play against Belgium on Friday, 12th April (8pm), face Italy on Sunday, 14th April (8pm) and square up to England on Wednesday, 17th April (1pm). Other games will see England against Italy on Friday, 12th April 5pm), England against Belgium on Sunday, 14th April (5pm) and Italy against Belgium on Wednesday, 17th April (11am).
The Future Eagles’ delegation to Spain, inclusive of 20 players, will be led by Zannah Mohammed Malah, a member of the NFF Technical and Development Committee.
