Former Super Falcons assistant coach, Maureen Madu, is confident the reigning African champions will redeem their image when they take on Banyana Banyana in a crunch opening fixture of Group C of the 12th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next month, The PUNCH reports.
The game is billed for the Stade Prince Moulay EL Hassan in Rabat July 4.
The Falcons lost 4-2 to Banyana at the inaugural Aisha Buhari tournament in Lagos last year. The defeat came after they had edged the South Africans 4-3 on penalties at the 2018 AWCON final.
Speaking with The PUNCH on the team’s chances of landing a 10th WAFCON title in Morocco, Madu, the most capped Falcon, said,” I expect the team to bring back the cup. The opening game against South Africa will be tough, no doubt, but I expect them to win.
“They must have learnt a thing or two from the defeat against Banyana. In Morocco, they must give everything – I mean a 150 per cent on the pitch to win the title.”
The Falcons will also play Botswana three days later before taking on Burundi on July 10 in the group phase.
The top two sides will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, while the two best third-placed teams will also join the last-eight stage.
All four semi-finalists in Morocco will qualify to represent Africa at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year, with the fifth-placed team handed an opportunity to also gain a place through a Play-off Tournament early next year.
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