Super Falcons coach, Florence Omagbemi, says her players will go full throttle against Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses when Nigeria and Cameroon clash in the final of the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) on Saturday in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Omagbemi, who at different times as a player, captained the Falcons to win the tournament, acknowledges the match will be a difficult one for her player but says they’ll power all the way.
“Saturday’s game will be difficult but interesting. This is not the first time we have met Cameroon but we will fight. We are here to defend our trophy. The matches follow each other and are not alike. Mentally, psychologically and physically the team is ready,” she said.
She added that the Falcons are used to the kind of pressure that comes with playing in the final having won the championships a whopping seven times.
“The players are used to this type of situation and of the winning team from Namibia, some are present. I won the competition as a captain. Today I am a coach. This is a challenge that I believe we can meet. We ensure the continuity by injecting new players of the local championship that we try to develop.
The Falcons gaffer said although Nigeria has an advantage over Cameroon having beaten them eight times in nine meetings, her players would not be resting on their laurels.
“We have eight victories over Cameroon in nine games. The ninth holds out our arms. What makes us strong is our determination. We are the defending champions and we have the best statistics. Our girls are focused on the goal and cannot be distracted by other concerns,” she said.
Falcons’ defender, Onome Ebi, echoes her coach’s stand that Cameroon would not be taken for granted.
“Cameroon have one of the best teams in the tournament. Every time we play against them, it becomes more and more difficult. Saturday will still be the case. I want to win the title of course,” she said.
The Cameroonians themselves are upbeat about their chances in Saturday’s final. Head Coach, Enow Ngachu, says the Lionesses are primed for glory.
Recalling Cameroon’s loss to Nigeria in the final of the last edition, the coach his side’s objective then was to qualify for the Women’s World Cup in Canada.
“When we were in Namibia two years ago, the goal was to qualify for the World Cup in Canada. After achieving the qualification, it made the players lose some level of concentration for the final,” Ngachu said.
The Lionesses coach said on Saturday his team’s goal is to win the gold medal. He sid this was not an impossible side as Cameroon beat Nigeria at the African Games in 2015 in Brazzaville, Congo.
“As a coach, I have always been positive. But be assured that we have abilities to react if we cash in first. We have demonstrated that we can score and provide a lot of opportunities. You also have to be wary of a team that defends well. The team that will be cool and physical will make the difference and I think we have the upper hand in that,” he said.
For Augustine Edjangue, the Lionesses’ deputy skipper, memory of the loss to the Falcons two years ago skill hurts. She says she and her colleagues are trying to galvanize themselves to victory.
“We are ready to fight till the end. As deputy captain, I must say that the strength of our group is our combativeness and solidarity. We are 22 players and each of us is important to the group. Whether we are on the playground or on the bench, we vibrate in unison. And we do not ask ourselves whether we would do better or not. It is true that we lost the final on details. This time we have trained hard so that it does not happen again,” she said.
The defender who currently stars for Danish club, Fortuna Hjørring, said though the Falcons are a great team and one they respect, the fact that the tournament is being played in Cameroon gives the Linonesses some advantage.
“God wanted this competition to be played in Cameroon and we believe that God willing and the quality of our preparation, this trophy will not escape us this time,” she said.
