Super Falcons’ coach Randy Waldrum had to conceal his frustration with the officiating in his post-match press conference following Nigeria’s defeat to hosts Morocco in the semi-final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.
The Falcons were reduced to nine women after Halimatu Ayinde and Rasheedat Ajibade were both sent off in the second half.
The nine-time champions went into the fixture at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat seeking to reach the final and retain the title they won in Ghana four years ago, but they were eliminated by the Atlas Lionesses, who won 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 deadlock in regular and extra-time.
Waldrum’s side dominated the Lionesses, especially in the opening stages of the first half but were hard done by after Ayinde was sent off for an early shower in the 48th minute.
However, the red card did not dampen their spirits as they took the lead in the 64th minute when defender Yasmin Mrabet put the ball into her own net after pressure from Ajibade.
Morocco restored parity four minutes later when Sanaa Mssoudy scored and in the 68th minute Nigeria suffered a further headache as they were reduced to nine players after Ajibade was sent off as well.
Asked to comment about officiating after the game, Waldrum told reporters, “We (coaches) can’t comment on officiating, we will get into trouble.
“We were in control of the game until after the first red card, then the second red card; I will put it this way.”
Despite the defeat, the American coach was full of praises for his players for their resilience against the hosts, who were fully cheered on by over 45,000 fans in the stadium.
“I am proud of the girls tonight (Monday). We wanted to win the game, not just the World Cup ticket,” Waldrum added.
“Our substitutions were spot on and we can’t ask for more from the players, they gave their best.”
Nigeria will now fight for the bronze medal when they take on Zambia in the third-place play-off while Morocco will come up against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in the final.
