Nigeria's Asisat Oshoala (8) and Francesca Ordega (17) at the Fifa Women World Cup 2015 in Canada. Photo Credit: John Woods/The Canadian Press. |
Come November 20 at 4pm reigning African and Defending Champions, Nigeria, will take to the field against Mali to begin her attempt at her own version of "LA Decima".
African women football have come a long way since 1991 when the first AWCON was held, albeit on a home and away basis, in a knockout round format. This was done to produce Africa's sole representative to the World's First Fifa Women World Cup held in China PR.
In later years after 1991, Ghana's Black queens emerged as Nigeria's strongest rivals and handed Nigeria her first AWCON defeat in 2002 via an Alberta Sackey goal in a group A game which ended one nil in favor of Ghana. Prior to this loss, The Super Falcons have never lost an AWCON game since 1991 across four previous editions leading to the 2002 AWCON hosted by Nigeria. Though Nigeria would go on to win the 2002 edition avenging the loss to Ghana via goals from Olaitan Yusuf and Stella Mbachu, that edition was a keen sign of Nigeria's dominance in the African Women's game bound to come under intense challenges from later years' emerging rivals in South Africa's Banyana Banyans, Cameron's Indomitable Lionesses and Equatorial Guinea, all in addition to Ghana's already strong rivalry with Africa's most successful female soccer side, The Super Falcons.
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