Comoros ran riot against Sudan, scoring 30 goals over two legs. Against Nigeria’s Super Falcons, they could not find a single one.
The Falcons won 7-0 on aggregate, sealing the tie with a 5-0 second-leg victory at the Remo Stars home ground in Ikenne, Ogun State, on Tuesday. They now enter the third round of the LA 2028 Olympic qualifiers, where Morocco await early next year.
How Nigeria did it
In a report gotten from Channels television wedsite,the Falcons dominated, but they had to wait until the 41st minute. Uchenna Kanu pounced on a defensive mistake and squared the ball for Toni Payne, who fired home. Kanu doubled the lead in the 58th minute, heading in Folashade Ijamilusi’s delivery. She thought she had a second three minutes later, but the officials flagged her for offside.
Payne struck again in the 63rd minute after Blessing Okpe dribbled past two defenders and picked her out.
Kanu completed her brace three minutes later, meeting another Ijamilusi cross. Okpe, a handful since coming on, then won a penalty, and Christy Ucheibe converted it in the 71st minute. The Falcons celebrated on X: “We are through to the next round of the LA 2028 Olympics! #SoarSuperFalcons”
Why Comoros should have scored
Thirty goals in two games means an average of 15 per match. A side that carves open opponents that easily does not forget how to score in a week. Comoros showed they can create chances, find the net and punish weak defences.
Nigeria faced a very different Comoros defensively, but the visitors still had openings. Kanu’s first goal came from Comoros’ own error, which shows the Falcons’ backline was not under constant pressure. Over 180 minutes, one set piece, one scramble or one counter should have produced a consolation goal.
The truth is that Sudan’s resistance and Nigeria’s quality are not comparable. The Falcons pressed high, won second balls and kept Comoros pinned back. Even so, a team with that much firepower will wonder how it managed zero.
Morocco: the real test
Nigeria’s next opponents will not offer such generosity.
The Falcons last met Morocco in the WAFCON final in Rabat, where they came from 2-0 down to win 3-2. The Atlas Lionesses will want revenge and will defend deeper and more compactly than Comoros did.
Nigeria’s weapons are clear. Kanu and Payne are in form, Ijamilusi keeps delivering dangerous crosses and Okpe adds directness. The Falcons must defend better too, because Morocco punished them early in Rabat. Whoever wins this tie goes to Los Angeles.
Nigeria’s Olympic past
Nigeria are no strangers to the Games. The Falcons played at four straight Olympics, in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. They reached the quarter-finals in 2004 and 2008, losing to the United States and Germany respectively.
They have missed every Olympics since 2008, a drought of nearly two decades. Morocco, meanwhile, have never qualified for the women’s Olympic tournament. Both sides will see LA 2028 as a historic chance.
