Sport
Ajibade Says Zambia’s Big Talk Pre-Match Gave Super Falcons the Push to Win 5-0
Super Falcons skipper Rasheedat Ajibade revealed that Zambia’s pre-match comments fired up the Nigerian team ahead of their crushing 5-0 win in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria were ruthless on Friday, dismantling a Zambian side that had impressed many during the group stage with solid performances against Morocco, Senegal, and DR Congo.
Before the clash, much of the spotlight had been on Zambia’s attacking stars, Barbara Banda and Rachel Kundananji. But the Falcons shut down the hype with a commanding display that left no room for doubt.
Speaking after the game, Ajibade admitted that all the talk leading up to the match didn’t go unnoticed. “We heard everything they were saying. It gave us that extra push,” she said.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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