Super Falcons survive poor pitch conditions to hammer Ethiopia in crucial Olympic qualifier

The Super Falcons of Nigeria survived poor conditions and a shaky first half to secure qualification to the next round of the 2024 Olympic qualifiers after a commanding 4-0 win over Ethiopia at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

Looking to do better than the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Addis Ababa, Nigeria were dominant over their Ethiopian counterparts and ran riot in the second half to claim what turned out to be a comfortable victory.

A brace from captain for the day Rasheedat Ajibade as well as goals from Ballon d’Or Femini nominee Asisat Oshoala and forward Uchenna Kanu were enough to see the Super Falcons through to a convincing win over Ethiopia.

Nigeria After a tough first leg in Addis Ababa where Nigeria barely escaped with a 1-1 draw against Ethiopia, the Super Falcons were keen to show their dominance on home turf and were on the Lucy girls like white on rice from the start.

Despite dominating possession, the Super Falcons were painfully profligate in front of goal and struggled to find the back of the net.

Just when it appeared as though the sides would head into the half-time break on level terms, Racing Louisville forward, Kanu, broke the deadlock with a calm finish from inside the six-yard area to open the scoring and give Nigeria a 1-0 lead.

The Super Falcons clearly enjoyed their breakthrough before the halftime interval and emerged from the break with pressure off their shoulders, scoring their second goal within five minutes of the restart.

Oshoala found Ajiibade to make it 2-0 to the Super Falcons and set up a comfortable half for the Super Falcons.

Oshoala finally got on the scoresheet to stretch the Super Falcons' lead to 3-0 profiting from a brilliant cross as Kanu turned provider.

Ajibade continued the rout, netting her second goal of the game after some penalty box pinball, as the Atletico Madrid Femenina striker bundled the ball over the line to make it 4-0.

Nigeria continued to attack despite their already huge advantage and could have made it five when Oshoala’s brilliant effort just grazed the post late on.