Rasheedat Ajibade didn’t hold back her praise for Botswana after leading the Super Falcons to a tough and narrow 1-0 victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

With Chinwendu Ihezuo’s late strike sealing the deal, Ajibade made it clear that Botswana pushed the Falcons to the limit and earned her full respect, Footballrover reports.

Rasheedat Ajibade Praises The Mares’ Fight and Class

The super captain called their opponent an exceptional team despite Nigeria’s hard-fought win.

The game was settled by Ihezuo’s late effort, which secured Nigeria’s spot in the quarterfinals.

Ajibade, named Woman of the Match, was quick to share the spotlight:

“Very grateful to God Almighty for winning this game,” Ajibade said while speaking to Ademola Victor. “I will be deceiving myself if I say I did it alone. Special thanks to my teammates — it’s a collective effort. We fought to the very end as a team. It was a very difficult one, but all thanks to my teammates, all thanks to the technical team, and all thanks to the supporters that came out to cheer us today.”

She highlighted that The Mares’ performance was proof that no team should be underestimated at this level.

“My overall view against Botswana is that Botswana is a good side. In this tournament, nobody can be underrated. To qualify for this tournament, they are a very good and exceptional side,” she noted. “The fact that we are Nigerians doesn’t mean it is going to be an easy sail over for all of us. So it was a very challenging game and a very competitive one. We are grateful to God that we got a win in the end.”

Super Falcons’ Ajibade Assures She’s Fully Fit

Many fans wondered about Ajibade’s fitness after the tough match, but the Super Falcons star gave a clear answer.

“Talking about myself, I don’t have any injuries, and I am 100 per cent fit. I am doing what I can to the best of my abilities, and I will keep pushing,” she affirmed.

Ajibade also took time to explain her flexible role for the Falcons under Coach Justin Madugu.

“Not that I am playing as a free player — we have a game plan. Sometimes I play like an attacking forward, and sometimes I play as a right winger. Me and my teammate, we have this connection between ourselves. We just have to be flexible players on the field; we don’t have to be static,” she explained.

“The most important thing is how to break down the opponent’s defence. We just have to look for the best possible way to break the opposition’s defence. It’s just about flexibility and not being a static player on the pitch.”

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Last Updated on July 11, 2025 7:32 am by Sir Kris