The tournament among the strongest women’s teams of the continent took place in Morocco. 1xBet, the best sports betting site and official partner of the Confederation of African Football, summarizes the competition.
Best of the best
Twelve teams took part in the tournament. As a result of the group stage, 8 of them advanced to the quarter-finals, where the real fight for the title began. Morocco and Nigeria went all the way through the competition without defeat and reached the final, while Ghana clashed with South Africa in the third place play-off.
Third place battle
The third place play-off was spectacular and dramatic. South Africa controlled the ball more, but Ghana looked more dangerous, having more scoring opportunities.
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The first goal was the result of a mistake by the Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan, who couldn’t cope with the pressure and gave the ball to her opponent. Nonhlanhla Mthandi had only to send the ball into an empty net, putting South Africa ahead. Midway through the second half, Ghana equalized thanks to Alice Kusi’s header after a cross from the left wing. In the remaining time, the teams failed to determine a winner, so the fate of third place was decided in a penalty shootout.
Ghana failed to convert their first attempt from the spot, but then managed to pull themselves together, and the rest of their shots went straight on target. At the same time, the South Africa players missed twice. As a result, Ghana won the penalty shootout 4-3, becoming the third-best national team on the continent, while the winners of the previous tournament had to settle for fourth place.
Fiery final
In the decisive match, the Moroccan girls faced the Nigeria national team. With the support of their home stands, the hosts rushed forward from the start and managed to score twice. Ghizlane Chebbak scored the first goal with a stunning long-range shot in the 12th minute, and shortly afterwards, Sanaâ Mssoudy doubled Morocco’s lead.
Nigeria managed to get back into the game in the 64th minute as Esther Okoronkwo converted a penalty. Seven minutes later, Esther became an assistant for her teammate, giving a beautiful pass to Folashade Ijamilusi, who scored an equalizer. A few minutes before the end of the match, the Nigerian girls managed to score the winning goal. Jennifer Echegini sent the ball into Morocco’s net after a long pass, thus finalizing her team’s fantastic comeback.
A stunning 3-2 victory allowed Nigeria to become Africa’s best team for the tenth time in history. Morocco were close to winning their first continental trophy but lost the final for the second time in a row.
Best players of WAFCON 2024
Moroccan Ghizlane Chebbak, who scored 5 goals, became the tournament’s top scorer. Interestingly, she was also the top scorer of WAFCON 2022, scoring 3 goals, but shared the first place with two other players. Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie became the best goalkeeper, while another Nigerian, Rasheedat Ajibade, was named the best player of the tournament.
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