Captain Rasheedat Ajibade is confident that the Super Falcons will earn a ticket to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in Paris, France despite the threat from South Africa’s Banyana Banyana.
She has therefore called on Nigerians to have confidence in the ability of the Super Falcons as the team flies to South Africa on Sunday night for a reverse fixture of the final qualifying match on Tuesday night.
Ajibade’s strike from the penalty spot earned Nigeria a lone-goal victory over the visitors in the first leg in Abuja on Friday, and even as there is all to play for in the return in South Africa’s administrative capital, the Atletico Madrid ace says the players will be propelled to victory knowing that the faith of over 200 million Nigerians in them is unwavering.
“We are not under any illusions. It is going to be a big and tough fight. For us, we have 90 minutes standing between us and the long-elusive ticket to the Olympics and we will give it our all.
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“We want Nigerians to believe in the Super Falcons. The players are motivated by the keen desire to play in the Olympics. Personally, I have played at every tournament you can think of, except the Olympics. The time to do it is now.”
The Super Falcons trained in the premises of their hotel on Saturday morning and also trained at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Sunday morning, before departing Abuja for Lagos aboard an Air Peace flight, to connect their flight to South Africa.