Bay FC are thrilled by the prospect of watching Asisat Oshoala strut her stuff with the Super Falcons at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The National Women’s Soccer League side expressed their delight in a post on their Instagram page on Wednesday following Nigeria’s qualification after defending their 1-0 first-leg advantage in a pulsating barren second leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The club also felicitates with Racheal Kundananji, another African player in their book who secured Africa’s second ticket to the Games with the Copper Queens of Zambia at the expense of Morocco.
“Agba Baller Asisat Oshoala and Copper Queen Racheal Kundananji will be competing at the Summer Olympics for the Nigeria Super Falcons and Zambia, respectively. We can’t wait to see them shine on the global stage,” read the club’s statement.
Oshoala, who is a prominent member of the Bay FC first team, is widely revered for scoring their first NWSL goal on her debut in the 1–0 victory against Angel City.
Having represented Nigeria at the U20 and senior levels with World Cup and Women’s Africa Cup of Nations appearances under her belt, Oshoala will be looking to make her first appearance at the Olympics count.
The record six-time African Women’s Player of the Year was a sorry sight when the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the last edition in Tokyo after losing to Ivory Coast in the third round of the African qualifying series.
During an interview with BBC Sports, the 29-year-old, who should be going for a swan song in Paris, said four years was a long time to wait, but they have quickly rolled by.
“It’s very disappointing and a real heartbreak for us,” said Oshoala, who has scored 37 goals in 61 outings with the Super Falcons since 2013.
He lamented further, “Obviously, it’s what I was looking forward to. I’ve never played at the Olympics, and it’s important for us to participate in it as a team.
“I actually thought this would be it—sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.
“Four years is a very long time for us, and I believe we’ve all learned a great lesson from this exit.
“Hopefully we can pick ourselves up on and off the field. We can only apologise to our fans and try to build on from here.”
Oshoala was not listed for the first leg against South Africa that took place at Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Friday for arriving in camp a day before but played a cameo role in Pretoria as Randy Waldrum’s team braced the odds to sail through to Paris, where they will begin their campaign in Group C against Brazil, Japan, and world champions Spain.
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