AS Roma Ladies attacker Rinsola Babajide powers Falcons over Cameroon with a goal and an assist in the second friendly match played in Yaounde.
10-times African champions Nigeria showed that class is permanent when they trounced the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon 3-1 in the second of a two-match series in Yaounde on Tuesday.
Three days after they lost 1-0 in the first meeting, the Super Falcons returned to the Military Stadium in northern Yaoundé and flipped the script emphatically, beating the Lionesses 3-1.
Head Coach Justin Madugu made seven changes to the side that lost on Saturday. Again, Cameroon struck first, a seventh-minute goal that briefly stirred memories of the weekend defeat.
Babajide Powers Falcons Over Cameroon
However, forward Chinwendu Ihezuo drew Nigeria level in the 32nd minute, rising above her marker to power home a header from Rinsola Babajide’s cross.
Then, just before halftime, the comeback was complete. After a scramble inside the box, Babajide, who had assisted the leveller, showed sharp instincts to put Nigeria in front in the 43rd minute.
Madugu’s reshaped midfield pressed higher, closed central lanes quicker, and forced Cameroon into hopeful deliveries.
In the second half, Captain Rasheedat Ajibade delivered a teasing cross into the heart of the box. Michelle Alozie attacked it with conviction, launching herself into a flying header that made it 3-1 in the 64th minute.
Meanwhile, both teams used the games as part of their preparations for the 14th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for Morocco, 17th March – 3rd April.
