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UPDATED: Super Falcons beat Morocco to make it record 10th WAFCON title

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Nollywood, make this movie! In an incredible comeback at Rabat’s Olympic Stadium on Saturday night, Nigeria’s senior female football team, Super Falcons defeated hosts Morocco to clinch their record-extending 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title.

Jennifer Echegini was the hero as the Super Falcons came from two goals down to win the tournament following a dramatic 3-2 victory over Morocco on Saturday night.

Echegini scored the all-important winning goal in the 88th minute to complete a second-half turnaround for Justine Madugu’s girls, who had trailed by two goals at halftime.

Ghizlane Chebbak and Sanaa Mssoudy had given Morocco a two-goal lead at the break. However, goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Florence Ijamilusi, and Echegini completed a well-deserved turnaround and victory for the Super Falcons.

The Super Falcons made just one change from the team that defeated South Africa in the semi-final, with Deborah Abiodun in midfield.

With Patrice Motsepe and Gianni Infantino, CAF and FIFA presidents respectively, in attendance, both sides provided an energetic start, and it was Morocco that made their chance count, when Chebbak controlled a loose ball before planting a shot into the top corner beyond Chiamaka Nnadozie in goal for 1-0 to Morocco in 13th minute.

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While the Falcons huffed and puffed, the Atlas Lionesses doubled their lead in 24 minutes as the defence was caught flat-footed. A cross from the right fell kindly for Mssoudy, who found a yard of space beyond Gloria Alozie before planting a drilled finish into the bottom far corner to send the fans into delirium as Morocco went into the break two goals up.

The Falcons improved in the second period, putting their host on the back foot, and further increasing the tempo with the introduction of Rinsola Babajide and Echegini on the hour mark. Their efforts would lead to a penalty kick awarded following a lengthy VAR review for handball from Ijamilusi’s cross. Okoronkwo stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way for 2-1 on 64 minutes.

Okoronkwo and Ijamilusi were involved as Nigeria drew level six minutes later, with the former crossing for the latter to tap home for 2-2, silencing the shell-shocked home crowd.

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Morocco regrouped and were awarded a penalty for handball by Folashade Demehin. The decision was, however, overturned following another lengthy VAR review, with the referee going to the pitchside monitor to confirm that Demehin’s hand was in a natural position and the defender was very close to the ball when it was kicked in her direction.

Supersub Echegini then completed the turnaround with a well-struck finish on 88 minutes to win it for Nigeria.

Victory completed Mission X for Nigeria as the Super Falcons bagged their 10th WAFCON title. It also ensured that the Falcons have succeeded in winning the WAFCON title at least once in consecutive tournaments.

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WrestleMania 42: Nigerian wrestler Oba Femi beats 10-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

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Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan, popularly known as Oba Femi, defeated 10-time WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, on his WrestleMania debut on Sunday.

The clash, one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42, ended on a dramatic note as the 27-year-old Nigerian overpowered the veteran.

Lesnar left his wrestling gear in the ring after the match — a gesture widely regarded in professional wrestling as a sign of retirement.

Oba Femi, also known as “The Ruler,” is a former NXT champion and has spent just three months on WWE’s main roster.

The contest began with both wrestlers testing each other’s strength before Lesnar briefly seized control with a series of offensive moves.

However, Femi absorbed the pressure and responded with a dominant display, shifting momentum in his favour.

Lesnar delivered an F5, but Femi quickly recovered, hitting a chokeslam before finishing the contest with his “Fall From Grace” sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

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The bout quickly became a major talking point on social media, with fans reacting to the upset win.

Femi, a former shot put athlete, is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion.

Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his school years before signing with WWE in 2021 through its NIL programme.

He went on to win the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

During the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, Femi sent a message to Roman Reigns, popularly known as the “Original Tribal Chief,” drawing a loud reaction from fans as he hinted at a possible title challenge before the end of the year.

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BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

See also  Police officers reject N1.5m bribe to free kidnap suspect
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FG  fulfils promises as D’Tigress receive national honours, house documents

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The Federal Government has fulfilled its outstanding promises to the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, delivering National Honour certificates and title documents for houses in Abuja.

The presentation took place in Lyon, where the African Champions are currently participating  at  the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The move follows a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at clearing a backlog of promises made to the team following their 2023 Afrobasket victory in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, led the delegation alongside the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade. Speaking during the handover, Dikko characterized the prompt delivery as a “clear departure” from previous administrations, where state-promised rewards often faced multi-year delays.

“This is a prompt fulfilment of promises made by a President who leads with action,” Dikko stated. “Mr. President is giving every Nigerian athlete a renewed confidence that sports is a serious business capable of changing lives.”

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While the physical assets (housing and honours) have been delivered, the NSC Chairman confirmed that the cash rewards promised to the squad are currently in the final stages of administrative processing. He assured the players that disbursement into their respective bank accounts is imminent.

The Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, noted that the current administration of President Tinubu  is institutionalizing a “reward system” modelled after developed sporting nations to ensure high-performance outcomes.

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Musa Kida, credited the Presidency for prioritizing athlete welfare, citing it as a “legacy of a lifetime” for the sports sector.

Head Coach Rena Wakama and Captain Amy Okonkwo formally accepted the documents, affirming that the timely delivery of these incentives would serve as a catalyst for the team’s upcoming international qualifiers.

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