By Tony Ubani
The Super Falcons brought football home as they arrived to a crowd of jubilant fans who cheered lustfully at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The tail of the ValueJet aircraft was sighted and the crowd went into hysterics.
The Super Falcons received a heroine’s momentous achievement in Morocco where they dazzled and sparkled and emerged as indefatigable champions.
Justin Madugu’s amazons secured a sensational 10th title last Sunday with a 3-2 victory over Morocco in Rabat to accomplish their Mission X target.
Captain fantastic, Rasheedat Ajibade led the troop out from the ValueJet lifting the trophy aloft as the crowd exploded in excstasy.
She was followed by uncharismatic coach Justin Madugu who accomplished what the charismatic coaches could not do. The crowd roared and hailed him ” coachiee, coachito”. He raised his hand in acknowledgement and appreciation.
The victory in Rabat on Saturday night capped a flawless campaign for the Super Falcons.
Nigeria went unbeaten throughout the tournament. They opened their group stage with a commanding 3-0 win over Tunisia, edged past Botswana 1-0, and were held to a goalless draw by Algeria.
In the knockout stages, the Falcons raised their game to another level, thrashing Zambia 5-0 in the quarter-finals before eliminating defending champions South Africa 2-1 in a tensed semi-final clash.
The final itself was a tale of two halves.
Morocco stunned the Nigerians with two early goals in the first 25 minutes. But the second half saw a stunning turnaround. Esther Okoronkwo pulled one back from the spot, Folashade Ijamilusi equalised, and Jennifer Echegini completed the comeback, sealing a dramatic and emotional win for Nigeria.
Scores of footie fans waited for their heroines outside the terminal after getting wind of their arrival.
They were itching to give the players an arrival worthy of their historic achievement.
