Nigeria vs Ethiopia: Ajibade to the Rescue As Super Falcons Earn Crucial Draw in Addis Ababa

• The Super Falcons failed to defeat Ethiopia in the first leg of an Olympic qualification match in Addis Ababa
• Rasheedat Ajibade led by example as she was on the scoresheet against the Lucys
• Barcelona striker, Asisat Oshoala failed to impress as Ethiopia defenders kept her silent in the game

The Super Falcons of Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw against Ethiopia in the first leg of the Olympic qualifiers at the Abebe Bikila Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The match against the Lucys was Nigeria's first game since they lost to England in the second round of the 2023 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The Super Falcons were excellent at the competition but were eventually knocked out of the competition in a penalty shootout by the Three Lionesses.

Nigeria were without their manager Randy Waldrum, who had commitments with the University of Pittsburgh Panthers women’s team, where he serves as head coach.

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The home side took the lead barely five minutes into the encounter, with Birkie Amare pouncing on a corner-kick.

Nigeria came close to levelling things up in the 27th minute, but Gift Monday's effort was thwarted by a solid Ethiopian defence.

Seven minutes after the restart, the Super Falcons captain for the day, Rasheedat Ajibade, equalised with a superb long-range strike.

Both teams could not find the back of the net in the remaining minute of the game, with the tie set to be determined in the second leg.

The Super Falcons will host the Lucys at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, on Tuesday, October 31, for the second leg of the qualifiers.

Nigeria missed out on the last two Olympic Games after being knocked out by Equatorial Guinea in 2015 in the qualifiers, and Côte d’Ivoire in 2019, according to Soccernet.

Waldrum proud of Super Falcons

Sports Brief earlier reported that Waldrum said that he is proud of his team despite their painful exit from the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

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The nine-time African champions were eliminated from the tournament after a penalty shootout defeat to England on Monday morning.

Waldrum revealed that his players were heartbroken but the attention will immediately switch to the Olympic Games qualifiers.