Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo has fired a stern warning to South Africa’s Bayana Bayana ahead of their semi-final clash at the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Footynaija.com reports.
Okoronkwo and the Falcons are set to tackle defending champions South Africa with the nine-time WAFCON winners aiming to continue their semifinal dominance over the Banyana Banyana. In four previous meetings in the WAFCON semis, Nigeria claimed three wins, losing only once to South Africa.
So far, Okoronkwo has been one of the standout performers for Justin Madugu’s side and currently leads the tournament’s assist providers chart. Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Monday morning, the AFC Toronto forward declared Nigeria’s preparedness to secure nothing but a win on Tuesday.

“When I am on the field, I just want to help the team, possibly the best way I can, whether it is by scoring or assisting,” Okoronkwo said. “The fact that we want to win the tournament is a great motivation to bring the trophy back to Nigeria.
“We go into every game with the same mentality to want to win, regardless of what is in front of us. We are prepared and ready to win tomorrow. We’re not really looking at the other team’s stats; we just focus on us and what we’re going to do tomorrow.”

The Super Falcons head into this semi-final in high spirits after recording a resounding 5-0 victory over Zambia in the quarterfinals. Okoronkwo played a starring role in that particular game, grabbing a goal and two assists for herself.
Going into Tuesday’s game, the 28-year-old looks prime to retain her place in the starting XI as the Super Falcons seek to exact revenge on Bayana Bayana for the heartbreak of the last edition.