NIGERIA'S FALCONS LIFTS 7th AWC TITLE

The Nigeria Women Football team popularly known as the
(The Falcons) defeated the Cameroonian women team (Les Lionesses) 2 - 0 in the final of the 9th CAF African Women Championships on Saturday at the  Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek Namibia.

The two countries which had already qualified to represent Africa for the 2015 Fifa Women World Cup in Canada along with Ivory Coast began the match with each team determined to lift the trophy.

African Women Championships Champions

Both teams were very impressive throughout the tournament
with the Falcons having won all their games without dropping any point, while Les Lionesses only lost one game in the group phase.

While the Cameroonians were hoping to upset the Nigerians which were slightly billed before the match as the favourites, and win their first title since the inception of the tournament in 1991, the Nigerians were determined to win their 7th title.

Nigeria lost the title in 2012 as the defending champions, when South Africa knocked them out 1 - 0 in the semi - final in the Equatorial Guinea.

Equatorial Guinea won the title that year but surprisingly did not qualify to participate in this year's tournament, so they could not defend their title.

Anyway, in the Saturday finals, it was the two top Nigerian strikers, Desire Oparanozie and Assisat Oshoala, who each scored a goal in the first half of the game.

Oparanozie who was the highest goal scorer of the tournament, scored Nigeria's first goal in the 12th minute of play while her team-mate Oshoala who again won the Most Valueable Player (MVP) of the tournament doubled Nigeria's scoreline just before the interval.

Assisat Oshoala had already won the MVP award and the Golden Boot award this summer in the Fifa Women Under - 20 World Cup tournament in Canada.

The Cameroon goalkeeper, Annette Ngo Ndom who produced good saves in the match and also throughout the Championships won the Best Goalkeeper award.

Tournament's Individual Awards:

Golden Boot Award:  Desire Oparanozie (5 goals, Nigeria)

Most Valueable Player:  Assisat Oshoala (4 goals, Nigeria)

Best Goalkeeper Award: Annette Ngo Ndom

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