Nigeria declare their tenth WAFCON title, ‘Mission X’, as they arrive from behind to beat Morocco 3-2 in Rabat.
Substitute Jennifer Echegini scored the 88th-minute winner as Nigeria got here from two objectives behind to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in a dramatic Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations remaining.
The triumph in Rabat on Saturday confirmed the West Africans because the queens of girls’s soccer in Africa as they pulled off a record-extending tenth title in 13 editions – “Mission X”, as they dubbed their efforts – to win the 2025 version.
It was the second successive remaining loss for Morocco, who led by two objectives after 24 minutes, solely to concede three within the second half.
Esther Okoronkwo performed a key function within the Tremendous Falcons’ victory: scoring the primary aim, creating the second and delivering the free-kick that Echegini completed to stun the house crowd.
Morocco, backed by a vibrant capability crowd on the 21,000-seat Stade Olympique within the capital, took the lead on 12 minutes as Nigeria conceded for the primary time in open play on the event.
Nigeria fluffed a number of probabilities to clear the ball, and it fell simply exterior the realm to Chebbak, whose completely positioned, rising shot gave goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie no probability.
Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie fails to save lots of a shot throughout the 2025 Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations remaining (Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP)
The lead doubled 12 minutes later because the ball flew throughout the Nigerian goalmouth to Sanaa Mssoudy, who ended a five-match aim drought by steering a low shot into the far nook of the web.
Nigeria had extra possession within the opening half than the host nation, however managed just one shot on course, and it didn’t bother goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi.
However the Moroccan lead halved after 64 minutes as Okoronkwo despatched Er-Rmichi the fallacious manner from a penalty after a VAR overview confirmed a Folashade Ijamilusi cross putting Nouhaila Benzina’s hand.
The aim lifted the spirits of more and more assertive Nigeria, they usually equalised seven minutes later, when Okoronkwo turned creator with a pull-back that Ijamilusi pushed into the web from shut vary.
CHAMPIONS OF AFRICA FOR THE 10TH TIME! 🏆🇳🇬
Inform your neighbors, inform the world — the Tremendous Falcons reign supreme once more!#MissionX #SoarSuperFalcons #WAFCON2024 #Champions #Morna pic.twitter.com/tiUQZleMEy
— NGSuper_Falcons (@NGSuper_Falcons) July 26, 2025
On Friday, Ghana completed third, successful a penalty shootout 4-3 towards outgoing champions South Africa after a 1-1 playoff attract common time in Casablanca.
After two weakly struck spot kicks in a row by South Africa had been saved to present Ghana the benefit, 19-year-old Nancy Amoh transformed the decisive penalty with a low shot into the nook of the web.
A blunder by Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan gifted South Africa the lead on 45 minutes as she misplaced management of the ball simply exterior the field, and Nonhlanhla Mthandi struck it into the web.
Persistent Ghanaian stress lastly paid off on 68 minutes when an Alice Kusi header got here off the crossbar and long-serving South Africa shot-stopper Andile Dlamini conceded an personal aim.
Victory was notably candy for the Black Queens as they had been outplayed when shedding 2-0 to Banyana Banyana (The Ladies) within the group stage.
Ghana have gained the 4 third-place playoffs they certified for, whereas South Africa have misplaced 4 of 5 bronze medal matches.
The subsequent Girls’s Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled for March 2026, additionally in Morocco, and can double as a qualifying competitors for the 2027 Girls’s World Cup in Brazil.
