JUST IN: Captain Oshoala To Miss #AWCON2022 Qualifier Clash Against Cote D’Ivoire

 

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have been dealt a big blow with the news that star player Asisat Oshoala will miss the crunch 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifying playoff against Ivory Coast in Abidjan today.

Oshoala, 27, suffered a thigh injury in training with the Super Falcons and is set to miss an estimated 10 weeks, according to her club side Barcelona.

The four-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year is the leading scorer in the Spanish top flight this season, even though she only recently returned from a two-month layoff due to a knee injury.

The forward missed Nigeria’s 2-0 loss to Ivory Coast this past weekend and will now also be sidelined for the second leg in Abidjan tomorrow.

In fact Oshoala is not likely to return before the end of April, meaning she will also not feature in the eagerly-anticipated European Women’s Champions League quarterfinals tie against Real Madrid in March.

The Nigerian is the continent’s most decorated female footballer and the first African player to win the Champions League title.

Her absence is a crippling blow to Nigeria’s hopes of turning around their qualifying tie against the Lady Elephants, who also stopped the Super Falcons from qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Games.