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Meet Ashleigh Plumptre, the ‘Oyinbo’ member of Nigeria Super Falcons [Video]

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SUPER FALCONS

 

Ashleigh Plumptre, 23 year-old Leicester city player made her debut for Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Friday, along with Ifeoma Onumonu.

The two players gave a good account of themselves as the Falcons beat the Lady Elephants of Ivory Coast 2-0.

Debutant Onumonu banged in the two goals and Plumptre was rock-solid in defence. She bagged the assist in Onumonu’s second goal.

Plumptre was trending on Nigerian Twitter on Saturday as people wanted to know more about the beautiful player.

Well, she is British-Nigerian, daughter of a Nigerian Dad and a British mom.

In an interview with NFF TV, she speaks proudly about her Nigerian heritage.

Match Report:

Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Friday defeated the Lady Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire 2-0, with debutant Ifeoma Onumonu scoring twice to give her team a good head start in the pairing.

The win was in the first leg match of their final round fixture in the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifiers.

See also  NFF, It is Time to Support Coach Waldrum’s Project

In the match played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, Nigeria’s persistence saw them opening scoring in the 21st minute.

SUPER FALCONS

Ashleigh Plumptre in Nigeria’s Super Falcons and Leicester colours

That was when Esther Okoronkwo set up Onumonu inside the penalty box to fire the Super Falcons in front from close range.

Seven minutes later, Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was put to the test when Zote Nina sent a shot towards goal but she was quick to save it.

The Ivorians began to pile huge pressure from the commencement of the second half, in a bid to get an equaliser but the Falcons stood determined to extend the lead.

Team head coach Randy Waldrum sent in striker Uchenna Kanu for midfielder Amanda Mbadinuji in the 55th minute to bolster their play.

A minute later, the U.S-based Onumonu, who was making her debut national team appearance, latched on to another debutant’s floated pass.

See also  Wafcon 2022: Super Falcons players boycott training over bonus row

Ashleigh Plumtree repulsed an Ivorian attack to float the ball from the left side to the right, and Onumonu only needed to lob over Ivorian goalkeeper Cynthia Djohore.

Falcons tried to register a more resounding victory with striker Gift Monday coming in for Okoronkwo in the 84th minute but Cote D’Ivoire put up a solid defence.

The visitors looked to score a consolation goal thereafter, but France-based Nnadozie made impressive saves just as defender Plumtree ensured the hosts maintained a clean sheet.

After the match, coach Waldrum said he was happy with the team’s performance.

“I thought that we had a good control of the game, so I am really proud of the players.

“We have Nnadozie, making a huge save at the end, keeping a clean sheet and we all know that it’s very important.

“We are also proud of this lady (Onumonu). This is her first opportunity to come to Nigeria and represent her country and she scored a brace.

See also  Women World Cup: Super Falcons plott ‘transformational’ victory over England

“Ashleigh also gave a good account of herself and it was really a solid performance,” Waldrum said.

The coach also added that he was positive ahead of the return leg in Abidjan on Wednesday.

For Onumonu, she was excited to be making her debut, adding that she had always desired to play for the country.

“It’s an honour to play for this team, I have been watching them for years and I dreamt about playing for the Super Falcons and am excited to have scored a brace.

“I really just want to make impact in this team,” Onumonu added.

Winners of the fixture will qualify for the 2022 AWCON in Morocco in June.

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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.

See also  Revenge served cold: Nigeria's Super Falcons beat Ivory Coast 1-0 to qualify for women’s AFCON finals

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  BREAKING: CAF Awards 2024: Super Falcons Win Women’s National Team Of The Year
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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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