Nigeria’s preparations for their decisive Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Group C clash against Egypt have suffered a setback after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed the suspension of two influential members of the squad.
The duo, Oluwatosin Demehin and Jennifer Echegini will miss the Super Falcons’ final group-stage fixture after disciplinary sanctions picked up during Saturday’s hard fought 1-0 victory over Zambia.
Defender Demehin received a straight red card in the 40th minute after bringing down Zambia captain Barbra Banda, who was through on goal. The dismissal forced Nigeria to play the remainder of the contest with 10 players before they courageously held on to secure all three points.
Midfielder Jennifer Echegini will also sit out the match after collecting her second yellow card of the tournament. Under CAF’s competition regulations, two bookings in separate matches automatically result in a one match suspension.
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The suspensions leave head coach Justine Madugu with important selection decisions ahead of a fixture Nigeria must navigate successfully to secure a place in the knockout stages.
The Super Falcons revived their campaign by defeating Zambia after opening the tournament with a surprise 3-2 loss to Malawi. As a result, Wednesday’s meeting with Egypt has become another crucial test for the defending champions as they bid to keep their hopes of an 11th WAFCON title alive.
Demehin’s absence could prompt Madugu to reshuffle his backline after the defender had played a key role in containing the dangerous Barbra Banda before her dismissal, while Echegini’s suspension reduces Nigeria’s midfield options for the decisive encounter.
Despite the double blow, the Super Falcons will be encouraged by the resilience they showed against Zambia, where they protected a one goal lead for more than 50 minutes with a numerical disadvantage to reignite their title defence.
