The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has informed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) of a change in dates for the FIFA World Cup play-off round between the Super Eagles and the Black Stars of Ghana.
The opening leg at the Cape Coast Stadium, earlier scheduled to be played on March 24, will now take place on March 25, starting from 7:30pm Ghana time (8:30pm in Nigeria).
Also, the return leg previously scheduled for March 27 will now hold at the Moshood Abiola (MKO) National Stadium in Abuja on March 29. Kick-off time is 6pm local time.
Meanwhile, CAF has chosen Nigerien official Zouwaira Souley as the referee for Wednesday’s 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying match between Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria’s Super Falcons in Abidjan.
Souley will work in company with compatriot Hawa Douno Moussa (assistant referee 1), Lamouni Latiifah Laura Pare from Burkina Faso (assistant referee 2), and another Nigerien, Nafissa Sani (4th official).
Ayawa Mana Mawoufemo Dzodope from Togo will serve as match commissioner, with another Togolese, Latré-Kayi Edzona Lawson-Hogban as referee assessor.
The Super Falcons, the tournament’s defending champions, won the first leg at the MKO Abiola National Stadium 2-0 on Friday. Ifeoma Onumonu scored both goals.
Nigeria’s contingent to the return leg landed in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan on Sunday evening, and trained at the Palais des Sports in the Treichville area of the city.
The 23-woman Super Falcons squad includes Captain Onome Ebi, Onumomu, defender Ashleigh Plumptre, goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, midfielders Rasheedat Ajibade, Toni Payne and Rita Chikwelu, and forwards Esther Okoronkwo and Gift Monday.
Wednesday’s encounter will take place at the Stade Robert Champroux, also in Abidjan, and will commence at 4pm Cote d’Ivoire time. The Falcons are expected to have a feel of the match venue on Tuesday evening.
The winner on aggregate will join hosts Morocco and Uganda who have already qualified for the 12 –team finals holding in Morocco 2nd -23rd July this year.
Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Burundi and Tunisia who scooped huge first-leg wins, as well as Botswana who won away from home, look good for spots in Morocco, and to some extent, Nigeria and South Africa, with decent home wins.
Burundi will expectedly pick their ticket on Monday when they visit Djibouti, while the winner takes all fixture between Namibia and Zambia, which first leg ended scoreless in Luanda, will be settled inside the Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
All the other eight matches will be played on Wednesday.
SUPER FALCONS IN ABIDJAN:
Goalkeepers: Tochukwu Oluehi, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Yewande Balogun
Defenders: Onome Ebi, Osinachi Ohale, Ashleigh Plumptre, Rofiat Imuran, Oluwatosin Demehin, Michelle Alozie, Nicole Payne
Midfielders: Rita Chikwelu, Rasheedat Ajibade, Toni Payne, Regina Otu, Peace Efih, Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene
Forwards: Uchenna Kanu, Francisca Ordega, Gift Monday, Christy Ucheibe, Mbadi Amanda, Ifeoma Onumonu, Esther Okoronkwo
FIRST LEG RESULTS
Wednesday 16 February: Burundi 6-1 Djibouti; Zambia 0-0 Namibia; Guinea-Bissau 0-6 Burkina Faso; Senegal 1-0 Mali
Thursday 17 February: Togo 2-1 Gabon
Friday 18 February: Zimbabwe 1-3 Botswana; South Africa 2-0 Algeria; Tunisia 5-0 Equatorial Guinea; Cameroon 8-0 The Gambia; Nigeria 2-0 Cote d’Ivoire