WAFCON: Dominant Nigeria beat Zambia in first quarter-final clash

The Super Falcons claimed a comprehensive 5-0 victory in Casablanca

Nigeria have never missed out on the semi-finals at a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and will not in this edition of the tournament either. They stormed into the semi-finals with a 5-0 win over last edition’s bronze medallists Zambia after leading 3-0 at half-time.

Mission X, as they have dubbed their quest for a 10th title, is on track and Nigeria turned in a statement performance after scoring only one goal in their last two matches.

Oshinachi Ohale opened the scoring in the second minute with a header from an Esther Okoronkwo free kick and it appeared one-way traffic for the first 14 minutes. Zambia got themselves into the game with increased possession for the rest of the half but struggled to deal with the ball in the air.

Okoronkwo got herself on the score sheet in the 33rd minute when she slotted home from a Rasheedat Ajibade cross and then Nigeria all but ended the contest with a third on the stroke of half-time. Chinwendu Ihezuo scored her third of the tournament when she picked up a long ball from Chiamaka Nnadozie and thundered it into the bottom left corner.

Zambia made an ambitious half-time change and brought on 18-year old forward Fridah Mukoma, who is based in China, for Racheal Nachula. They had a better second period and even dominated possession in that half but the damage was done. It got worse for them in the 68th minute when an Okoronkwo free kick fed the ball to Oluwatosin Demehin who headed in from close range and Nigeria were not done yet. In additional time, they added a fifth from Folashade Ijamilusi as Ajibade provided a second assist.

What defined Nigeria’s match?

Being clinical.

Nigeria did not look convincing when they needed to wait until the 89th minute to score against Botswana, and then played out a goalless draw against Algeria. But any doubt about their goal scoring ability was put to bed in this match. They had 11 shots in the match, seven on target and five goals which is a conversation rate of 64%. They also did all of that with Asisat Oshaola coming off the bench in the 73rd minute. Nigeria’s five goals is the most dominant result of the tournament so far. They have also not conceded a goal thus far in the competition.

What defined Zambia’s match?

The inability to deal effectively with the aerial ball and a lack of depth beyond the big names.

You will hear this a lot when Southern African teams play West African ones, and it can become a stereotype but it was a case study of the difference between the two sides in Casablanca. Zambia were unable to defend against the long-balls, whether from a set piece in open play but that is only one half of the story.

A concern from the group stage was that Zambia were over-reliant on their only goal-scorer at this tournament Barbra Banda and Rachel Kundananji and neither were given a sniff. They were starved of the ball thanks to a strong Nigerian defence, particularly Oluwatosin Demuhin. Banda had two shots, neither on target and Kundanji did not even have one and was completely blunted out of the game.

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Though it was difficult to see ways for Zambia to compete in the first 45 minutes, they failed to capitalise on three potential opportunities in the first half. They won three free kicks in six minutes and all three were played straight to Nnadozie as they could not find a team-mate in the box. In the 80th minute, they had a fourth free kick and Chanda did find players in the box but the ball was cleared away. In total, Zambia had six shots on goal, none on target.

What next?

Nigeria moved on to the semi-finals for the 15th time in as many WAFCONs and will play the winner of the match between defending champions South Africa and Senegal, in a 5pm kick off in Casablanca on Tuesday.

For Zambia, it’s back to the drawing board as they look ahead to the next WAFCON in nine months’ time. Qualifiers take place in October and after receiving a first round bye, Zambia will play Namibia in home and away ties to determine who will be back in Morocco in March 2026.