Nigeria’s U-20 team, Falconets, emerged champions of the women’s football tournament at the 12th African Games in Rabat on Thursday, after a 3-2 penalty shoot-out triumph over their counterparts from Cameroon.
The keenly-contested game between the two teams, who had battled to a 1-1 draw in the group stage match eight days earlier, ended 0-0 after regulation and extra time at the Stade Boubker Aamar outside Rabat.
Penalty shoot-out followed and Falconets, one of only four teams to have featured in every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since the competition started 17 years ago, triumphed.
The victory was the first gold for the Falconets at the African Games in 12 years, having not qualified for the 10th edition in Mozambique in 2011, and finishing outside the medals’ range in Brazzaville four years ago.
It was also a fitting accomplishment to bid farewell to the first captain of the Falconets team, Ifeanyichukwu Chiejine, whose remains were committed to mother earth in Lagos, also on Thursday.
Watch video of the excitement below.
