Tunisia striker Mariem Houij is bracing herself for a tough challenge as her team prepares to face the Super Falcons of Nigeria in their opening fixture at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The Group B encounter is set to take place in Casablanca on Sunday.
Houij acknowledges Nigeria’s impressive record in the tournament, describing them as the most decorated team in WAFCON history. “Nigeria is the most decorated team in the WAFCON,” she said in an interview with CAFonline. “In the last edition, they were eliminated in the semifinals by host nation Morocco.”
Despite the quality of opposition in the group, Houij is confident that her team can go far in the competition. “We want to deliver a strong performance and reach the knockout stages,” she added. “In the last edition, we made it past the group stage for the first time in 12 years before being knocked out by the defending champions, South Africa. That was a major step forward. Now, we aim to go even further and make our country proud.”
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Houij’s coach is analyzing every opponent in detail to prepare the team well for the tournament. “Our coaching staff is analyzing every opponent in detail to prepare us well,” she said. “Official matches are completely different from friendlies. We beat Botswana in a friendly last year in Tunis. As for Algeria, their playing style is similar to ours, and we’ve won both of our recent matches against them.”
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Houij’s ambition is clear: to make a strong impression and reach the final. “The ideal scenario would be reaching the final,” she said. “We have a strong, long-standing group that has been reinforced with new players due to the postponement of the 2024 edition to 2025. We’re ready to take on the challenge and give Tunisia—and the entire continent—a memorable performance.”
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The stage is set for an exciting encounter between Tunisia and Nigeria at the 2024 WAFCON. Both teams will be looking to make a strong start to the tournament, and Houij’s comments suggest that Tunisia is ready to take on the challenge. Will the Super Falcons’ experience and pedigree be enough to secure a win, or will Tunisia’s determination and preparation pay off? The outcome remains to be seen.
