South Africa are Nigeria’s greatest obstacle – Oparanozie News

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South Africa are Nigeria’s greatest obstacle – Oparanozie

By Daily Sports Nigeria on July 22, 2025

Former Super Falcons striker Desire Oparanozie believes Nigeria can seal their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title if they overcome defending champions South Africa in Tuesday’s semi-final clash, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The prolific forward, who enjoyed a distinguished international career, identified Banyana Banyana as the Super Falcons’ biggest threat but expressed confidence that Nigeria can prevail and claim the coveted trophy.

“I believe Nigeria’s biggest threat is Banyana Banyana, who are the defending champions,” Oparanozie told Showmax Premier League.

“Once Nigeria can get past them, the WAFCON is as good as won by the Super Falcons.”

Oparanozie’s assessment comes following Nigeria’s emphatic 5-0 quarter-final victory over Zambia, which set up the tantalising semi-final encounter against the defending champions.

The former international expressed immense satisfaction with the Super Falcons’ dominant performance against the Copper Queens.

“I was super excited and proud. It was a stellar performance from the team,” she said.

“I was a bit worried during the group stage. Though they finished top of their group, they struggled to convert goal-scoring opportunities. Perhaps they were saving it for Zambia!”

The veteran forward praised the team’s collective effort as one of the keys to their success in this year’s tournament, saying, “They have all been great. Every one of them has shown up as a team, a really effective team; they’ve all been very brilliant on the field.”

She also highlighted the significant progress made in women’s African football over the past decade, pointing to various improvements across multiple areas.

“Women’s football has improved a great deal in the past decade in terms of the prize money increment, organisation, educational programmes, number of WAFCON participating teams (from eight to 12), etc.,” Oparanozie explained.

“Nigeria finished fourth at the last WAFCON edition, and having South Africa win it for the first time shows just how much progress other teams have made and how much African football has grown and will continue to grow.”

The semi-final clash promises to be an epic encounter between two of Africa’s footballing powerhouses, with Nigeria seeking to add a 10th WAFCON title to their impressive collection whilst South Africa aim to defend their crown.

The match will be broadcast live on Showmax Premier League, with football fans across the continent eagerly anticipating what could be a defining moment in the tournament.

Source Punch Ng

Posted July 22, 2025