Joy Omewa announced herself to a wider Nigerian football audience with a second-half brace, and Asisat Oshoala swept home the third within three minutes of arriving off the bench. The Super Falcons have sent their message to Morocco.
A dominant second-half showing at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne gave Nigeria’s Super Falcons a 3-0 victory over Senegal in the second of two international friendlies between the sides on Monday, completing a back to back sweep over the Teranga Lionesses and serving as the sharpest possible WAFCON preparation statement head coach Justine Madugu could have asked for.
The first half was an exercise in Nigerian dominance without reward. Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday created the game’s earliest clear opportunity but her effort was comfortably collected. Joy Omewa then struck the upright after being threaded through by captain Rasheedat Ajibade. A further chance was wasted due to a breakdown in combination play between Toni Payne and Ajibade. The Falcons had created enough to lead. They did not. What they did instead was take all that pressure and convert it into three goals in the space of 20 minutes after the interval. Super Falcons fans following the WAFCON build-up from home can find the latest offers for Nigeria’s upcoming matches through Nigeria’s current Bet9ja promotion code ahead of the tournament in Morocco.
Omewa Takes Her Moment
Joy Omewa had come close in the first half and she made absolutely no mistake four minutes into the second. Rising to meet a delivery into the penalty area, she headed past the Senegal goalkeeper to break the deadlock. It was the kind of finish that requires timing, confidence, and the absence of doubt, and Omewa produced all three. Six minutes later she doubled the advantage with a composed finish after running in behind the Senegal defence, completing a brace that elevated her standing in the competition for a starting place considerably.
Madugu made a double change on the hour, withdrawing Rinsola Babajide and Omewa and introducing Folashade Ijamilusi and Asisat Oshoala. Within three minutes of taking the field, Oshoala had scored. Ajibade, who had been the creative heartbeat of Nigeria’s play throughout both halves, rolled the ball into her path and the veteran striker finished calmly to make it 3-0. It was the kind of combination the two of them have produced at WAFCON level before, and it underlined exactly why Madugu values Ajibade’s ability to unlock space for those arriving in the final third.
Nigeria continued to press for more but the score remained at 3-0, a result that tells most of the story of where the Super Falcons stand relative to a Senegal side that will face them again in Group A of WAFCON 2026 in Morocco this summer.
The WAFCON Context That Makes These Results Significant
Nigeria arrive at WAFCON 2026 as defending champions, having beaten Morocco in the final of the 2025 edition at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. The 2026 tournament runs from July 25 to August 16 in Morocco, making the hosts Nigeria’s strongest potential rivals in the knockout rounds. The Super Falcons have been drawn in Group C alongside Egypt, Zambia, and tournament debutants Malawi. Back-to-back wins over Senegal just six weeks before the group stage opens tell Madugu’s coaching staff a great deal about how the squad is shaping up across key positions. Fans wanting to back the Super Falcons through their title defence can check out the Bet9ja registration page to set up an account before the tournament begins in July.
Omewa’s brace is the headline, but the wider performance contained details worth noting. Toni Payne’s running and link-up play caused problems when it connected. Ajibade’s quality as an organiser and creator was evident throughout the 90 minutes. The substitutions worked immediately, with Oshoala’s goal arriving within moments of her introduction and Ijamilusi adding direct running on the left flank. What the first half demonstrated was that the Falcons can dominate possession and territory without converting. What the second half demonstrated was that when the composure arrived, the clinical edge was there to match it.
What Madugu Has Built
Justine Madugu has operated without the level of public attention his results probably deserve since taking charge of the Super Falcons. The back to back wins over Senegal, achieved with a squad that includes both established names like Oshoala and Ajibade and emerging ones like Omewa, reflect a group with tactical clarity and sufficient depth to rotate players without losing quality. The WAFCON is a tournament where squad depth becomes decisive in the knockout rounds, and the Monday performance demonstrated that the Falcons have options in multiple positions that can change a game.
Nigeria are the 10 time WAFCON champions and the tournament’s dominant force across its entire history. Defending the title in Morocco, where they won it last year, against a field that now includes a 16 team expanded format for the first time adds complexity and physical demand to the competition. What Ikenne confirmed on Monday was that the Super Falcons are not just present for Morocco. They are ready to make a statement there. Supporters planning to follow Nigeria’s WAFCON title defence can stay on top of every fixture and get the latest pre match offers through the FootballInNigeria.com.ng Bet9ja promotion code page.
📌 Did You Know?
- Nigeria’s Super Falcons won their 10th WAFCON title in 2025, beating hosts Morocco in the final at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, making them the most successful women’s national team in Africa’s footballing history by a considerable distance.
- The 2026 WAFCON in Morocco will be the 16th edition of the tournament and the third consecutive time Morocco has hosted it, making Morocco the first country to host the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in three successive editions.
- WAFCON 2026 has been expanded to a 16-team format for the first time in the tournament’s history, with CAF opting for expansion after the qualification process concluded, adding four additional nations to what had originally been planned as a 12 team competition.
- Nigeria have been placed in Group C of WAFCON 2026 alongside Egypt, Zambia, and tournament debutants Malawi. The top four finishers across all groups at the tournament will qualify directly for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
- Joy Omewa plays club football for Atlético de Madrid Women in Spain’s Liga F, one of the strongest women’s club competitions in Europe, giving her the top-flight experience that has sharpened the finishing quality she displayed in both goals against Senegal on Monday.
- Asisat Oshoala, who completed the scoring against Senegal, is Nigeria’s all time leading scorer at WAFCON tournaments and has won the African Women’s Player of the Year award six times, making her the most decorated individual in the history of African women’s football.
- Perpetua Nkwocha of Nigeria holds the record for most goals scored in WAFCON tournament history with 34 strikes between 2002 and 2014, a figure Oshoala has been gradually approaching across her own career in the green and white of the Super Falcons.
