The Falconets defeated their Cameroonian rivals 3-0 at the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja on Saturday to advance to the last round of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualification series.
Since the Falcons defeated their Senegalese rivals 2-0 in a Women Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match in April 2016, this was the first international match in Nigeria’s premier sporting venue.
The Young Lionesses were sent home empty-handed following a brace by left-sided midfielder Esther Onyenezide and a goal by Precious Vincent, less than 48 hours after the country’s senior men’s team was knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations, which the country is now hosting.
Onyenezide struck after 22 minutes, before Vincent increased the worries of the visitors eight minutes from the interval.
Onyenezide struck again in the 73rd minute to put the match beyond the Lionesses.
The Falconets will now tango with the winner of the Morocco-Senegal fixture in a two-legged affair next month for a slot at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in August.