By Amaechi Agbo

Twenty-nine players of the Nigeria National female football team, the Super Falcons began training in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of their 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, AWCON qualifiers next year, www.bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

The Super Falcons will take on the Lady Elephants of Ivory Coast in the last qualifying first leg on February 13th while the return leg will hold in Abidjan Ivory Coast 4 days later.

The team had their 3rd training session at the Goal Project of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Package B Abuja on Wednesday morning after they had two sessions on Tuesday.

Coach of the side, Randy Waldrum invited 30 players to camp for blending ahead of the all-important qualifiers.

However, 29 players reported to camp with the exception of goal poacher, Gift Monday. Her reasons for not reporting to camp was not stated at the time of this report.

“The Super Falcons are in a training camp in Abuja ahead of crucial qualifying matches against Ivory Coast.

“We have 29 players in camp , only expecting Gift Monday (NWFL Premiership highest goal scorer)

“We had our 3rd training session this morning,” the media officer said in a post on Facebook.

The nine-day camping which is aimed at further improving the bond, affinity and familiarity among the group as well as the curation of tactical and technical methods that would work best for the squad in match situations with 15 home girls and 15 foreign –
based stars started on Monday 22nd November and will climax on 30th November, 2021 .

Leading the home girls are forwards Gift Monday and Vivian Ikechukwu, who scored two goals each during the Aisha Buhari Invitational Tournament in Lagos in September, and there are also goalkeeper Onyinyechukwu Okeke, defender Akudo Ogbonna, midfielder Goodness Onyebuchi and forward Mary-Ann Ezenagu.

Defender Onome Ebi leads the overseas based crew, alongside midfieder Rasheedat Ajibade, defenders Patricia George and Ashley Plumptre and forward Desire Oparanozie.

Super Falcons reached the last qualifying round after a laboured 2-1 aggregate win against the Black Queens of Ghana. They won the first leg 2-0 but lost the second leg 1-0 in Accra.

Super Falcons are the most successful team in the continent having won the competition a record nine times