Rasheedat Ajibade was the heroine as Nigeria Super Falcons secured a morale boosting draw with the Portuguese women team at the ongoing Summer Series in US.
Having lost their first game against Jamaica the Super Falcons needed some sort of redemption against a Portuguese side that also lost her first game again world champions US.
Randy Waldrum welcomed back Asisat Oshoala and Onome Ebi into the starting line up after missing the first game as Nigeria dominated the first 20 minutes of the game.
Nigeria fell behind when Chidinma Okeke diverted the ball into her own net after 21 minutes as Portugal began to stamp their authority into the game.
SL Benfica attacker Carole Costa stabbed home a cross to increase her side’s lead 12 minutes later but Nigeria half the deficit on the stroke of halftime with Houston Dash’s Michelle Alozie registering her first goal for the Falcons.
Maritimo’s Telma Encarnação restored Portugal’s two-goal lead in the 49th minute before Braga’s Diana Gomes’s own goal pegged the game back to 3-2.
With 10 minutes left, Randy Waldrum brought on the duo of Monday Gift and Joy Bokiri for Rita Chikwelu and Francesca Ordega in a last push that pained off in the dying moments of the game.
Shortly after Ajibade rattled the bar, Joy Bokiri won possession in the Portuguese half as she teed up Toni Payne whose cutback pass was stabbed by Rasheedat Ajibade to the delight of the watching fans at the Stadium.
Nigeria will face World Champions, USA Women’s National Team (USWNT) in their next game on Thursday, June 17, 2021, by 2 am Nigerian time at the Q2 Stadium Austin, Texas.
