
Nigeria crowned African football queens
The triumph in Rabat confirmed the west Africans as the queens of women's football in Africa as they pulled off a record-extending 10th title in 13 editions.
It was the second successive final loss for Morocco, who led by two goals after 24 minutes only to concede three in the second half.
Esther Okoronkwo played a key role in the Super Falcons victory - scoring the first goal, creating the second and delivering the free-kick that Echegini finished to stun the home crowd.
Morocco, backed by a vibrant capacity crowd at the 21,000-seat Stade Olympique in the capital, took the lead on 12 minutes as Nigeria conceded for the first time in open play at the tournament.
Nigeria fluffed several chances to clear the ball and it fell just outside the area to Chebbak, whose perfectly placed, rising shot gave goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie no chance.
The lead doubled 12 minutes later as the ball flew across the Nigerian goalmouth to Sanaa Mssoudy, who ended a five-match goal drought by steering a low shot into the far corner of the net.
Nigeria had more possession in the opening half than the host nation, but managed only one shot on target and it did not trouble goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi.
- Lifted spirits -
But the Moroccan lead halved after 64 minutes as Okoronkwo sent Er-Rmichi the wrong way from a penalty after a VAR review showed a Folashade Ijamilusi cross striking a hand of Nouhaila Benzina.
The goal lifted the spirits of increasingly assertive Nigeria and they equalised seven minutes later when Okoronkwo turned creator with a pull-back that Ijamilusi pushed into the net from close range.
On Friday, Ghana finished third, winning a penalty shootout 4-3 against outgoing champions South Africa after a 1-1 play-off draw in regular time in Casablanca.
After two weakly struck spot kicks in a row by South Africa were saved to give Ghana the advantage, 19-year-old Nancy Amoh converted the decisive penalty with a low shot into the corner of the net.
A blunder by Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan gifted South Africa the lead on 45 minutes as she lost control of the ball just outside the box and Nonhlanhla Mthandi struck it into the net.
Persistent Ghanaian pressure finally paid off on 68 minutes when an Alice Kusi header came off the crossbar and long-serving South Africa shot-stopper Andile Dlamini conceded an own goal.
Victory was particularly sweet for the Black Queens as they were outplayed when losing 2-0 to Banyana Banyana (The Girls) in the group stage.
Ghana have won the four third place play-offs they qualified for while South Africa have lost four of five bronze medals matches.
The next Wafcon is scheduled for March 2026, also in Morocco, and will double as a qualifying competition for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil.
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