Paris 2024: Super Falcons Aim to Extend Unbeaten Streak Against Bayana

Nigeria’s national women’s football team, the Super Falcons, is gearing up to face South Africa’s Bayana Bayana in a highly anticipated match in Pretoria on Tuesday night. The Super Falcons are aiming to maintain their unbeaten record against South Africa in senior women’s football matches played in the country.

The rivalry between the two teams dates back to March 19, 1995, when the Super Falcons defeated the Banyana Banyana 7-1 in Johannesburg during a FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying match. Since then, Nigeria has dominated the head-to-head encounters, winning 15 out of 24 matches, with five draws and four wins for South Africa.

Although South Africa has narrowed the gap over the years, they are yet to secure a victory against Nigeria in any match played in South Africa. The Banyana Banyana’s four victories over the Super Falcons have all occurred in different locations, including Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, and Morocco.

In the seven previous encounters between the two teams in South Africa, Nigeria has won five times, with two matches ending in draws. The Banyana Banyana’s only successful attempts to hold the Super Falcons in South Africa were in March 2004 and June 2012, with both matches ending in draws.

The Super Falcons arrived in Pretoria on Monday morning for the upcoming match and have settled in their hotel ahead of their official training session at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday night. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7.30 pm South African time (6.30 pm Nigeria time).

Nigeria’s captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, has been instrumental in recent matches against South Africa, scoring the team’s last two goals. She scored a consolation goal in a 2-1 defeat in Rabat on July 4, 2022, and also converted a penalty in a win over South Africa in Abuja on a previous occasion.

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