The Super Falcons defeated Haiti 2-1 on Friday at the Emir Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey, as they continue preparing for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Sports Extra reports. This victory marked the Nigeria senior women’s national team’s second consecutive win after ending a seven‑match winless streak.
Head coach Randy Waldrum made four changes to the lineup that had beaten Costa Rica 1-0 at the inaugural Revelation Cup in Mexico last month. Chiamaka Nnadozie, Halimat Ayinde, Onome Ebi and Asisat Oshoala replaced Yetunde Balogun, Osinachi Ohale, Christy Ucheibe and Ifeoma Onumonu. Haiti’s coach, Nicolas Delepine, suffered a setback when centre‑back Tabita Dougenie Joseph was ruled out just before kickoff.
The Falcons started brightly. Twenty‑two minutes in, Barcelona star Oshoala thought she had given the nine‑time African champions the lead, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside. Four minutes later, Rasheedat Ajibade struck the woodwork with a brilliant effort. Five minutes before the break, the deadlock was finally broken when Saint‑Étienne forward Esther Okoronkwo scored from a left‑footed free kick, giving Nigeria the lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Falcons maintained their hunger and doubled their lead in the 58th minute. Oshoala reacted quickest to a corner that the Haitian defence failed to clear, scoring the second goal. The two‑goal deficit spurred the World Cup debutants, but Nnadozie denied Haiti’s chances. Desire Oparanozie made a long‑awaited return, replacing Okoronkwo in the 65th minute, while Christy Ucheibe came on for Ebi in the 73rd minute.
Haiti pulled a goal back in the 75th minute, denying the Paris FC goalkeeper a clean sheet. Despite continued pressure from Haiti, Nigeria held on for another win ahead of Tuesday’s clash with World Cup co‑host New Zealand. Waldrum’s side will look to extend their unbeaten run to three games in that upcoming encounter.
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