Nigeria’s WNT head Coach Randy Waldrum has praised his players, after a heartbreaking semi-final defeat to Morocco at the ongoing Women’s African Cup of Nations.
Waldrum watched his girls fight gallantly against the hosts, who had record crowd at the Prince Moulay Abdallah, behind them behind them.
But, despite having two players sent off and enduring the wave of Moroccan attack for fifty minutes with the numerical disadvantage.
With the game level at 1-1 in the regular time, the Falcons in the 110th minute nearly shock the home crowd as Monday Gift’s shot came off the crossbar.
Extra time finished with the score still deadlocked at 1-1, penalty shootout was then required to decide the titanic clash.
In the shootout, every Nigerian spot kick was accompanied by whistles and boos of the Moroccans.
There was hysteria in the stadium when Moroccan goalkeeper Khadijah Errmichi’s stopped Ifeoma Onumonu’s penalty.
It was the only miss of the shootout as Morocco emerged 5-4 victors.
“We tried to win, we tried everything. When you are outnumbered, it is logical that you start to defend. We held on, but in the end its football,” Randy Waldrum said.
Nigeria will shift focus to the losers’ final against Zambia on Friday at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.
