Tag: Edo Queens

Players of Edo Queens were the picks from the pack as WAFU B technical study group named the Team of the Competition barely few days after the conclusion of the CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers. 

The Nigerian champions proved their mettle in Cote d Ivoire by winning all their games in style before picking the sole CAF Women’s Champions League ticket. 

The competition organizers listed five players of Edo Queens including Suliat Abideen and striker Emem Essien in the Team of the season . 

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Both Etincelles and Inter D’Abidjan had two players each, Hasaacas Ladies, Ainonvi had one player each. 

Edo Queens will represent the WAFU B sub region in the CAF Women’s League competition later in the year.

Edo Queens will today face Beninese side  Aïnonvi FC in the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League Qualifiers (WAFU B) ongoing in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Nigerian champions on Tuesday bagged a final ticket after overcoming home side FC Inter D’Abidjan 2-1 in the semifinal at the Stade de la Paix in Bouaké.

Moses Adukwu’s side began their campaign with a 5-0 thumping of AS Garde from Niger, followed by a convincing 3-0 win against Ghana’s Hasaacas Ladies. A narrow 1-0 victory over Omnisport Etincelle secured their position as Group B leaders.

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Ainonvi FC’s journey to the final was marked by a gritty 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso’s A.O. Etincelle in the last four tie.

The winner of this match will represent WAFU Zone B in the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League in Cairo, Egypt – a first-ever achievement for both clubs.

• Through to the semi final

Nigeria’s representative in the WAFU B CAF Women’s Champions League, Edo Queens have zoomed to the semi-final of the competition following their 3-0 battering of boastful, Ghanaian’s Hasaacas Ladies in their second Group B tie.

Two goals from Emem Essien and another from Suliat Abideen ensured that Edo Queens secure their second straight victory in the competition to hit the last four with a game to spare.

Moses Adukwu led side annihilated AS Garde of Niger 5-0 in their first game. They have scored eight goals in two games without conceding any.

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Edo Queens are seeking to become the third Nigerian club to qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League after Rivers Angels and Bayelsa Queens in the fourth edition of the competition.

Delta Queens are the only team that failed to advance to the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2023 despite the fact that the Qualifier was held in Edo State, Nigeria.

Edo Queens will face Burkina Faso’s AO Etincelle on Saturday , August 17^th  at Stade de la Paix, Bouake with only a draw enough to confirm then as group winner.

Edo Queens have signed 14 new players ahead of this month’s West Zone B (WAFU-B) Women’s Champions League Qualifiers in Cote D’Ivoire.

Folashade Ijamilusi, who ended the 2023/2024 Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership season as the top goal scorer with eight goals, has joined the Benin City-based side from FC Robo Queens.

Moses Aduku’s side also announced the arrival of Bayelsa Queens top choice goalkeeper, Monle Oyono ahead of their trip to Cote D’Ivoire.

Delta Queens’ Vera Samuel also joined the team in a bid to strengthen the team after the trio of Chioma Olise, Osigwe Goodness, and Folorunsho Comfort joined the national U-20 team for the preparation for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

14 players were newly recruited by Edo Queens at the end of the season after winning their maiden league title. The Nigerian side has been on a month intensive training program in Uzairue as part of preparation for the WAFU-B Qualifiers.

The Nigerian champions will face Hasaacas Ladies (Ghana), Omnisports Etincelle (Burkina Faso), and AS Garde Nationale (Niger Republic) in Group B of the 2024 WAFU-B Women’s Champions League Qualifiers.

On Sunday, August 11, Edo Queens will open their WAFU-B campaign against Omnisports Etincelle before clashes with Hasaacas Ladies (August 14), and AS Garde Nationale (August 17).

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Meanwhile,  Hasaacas Ladies attacker Vivian Cudjoe, has boasted that the Ghanaian club would get the sole ticket in Cote d’Ivoire.

Cudjoe assured her Ghanaian fans that not even Nigeria’s flag bearer, Edo Queens can stand in their way and the ticket to the main CAF Women’s Champions League.

CAF, a few weeks ago, conducted the draw and placed Hasaacas Ladies in the same group as the Nigerian champions.

The Ghanaian champions suffered defeat to the Black Princess of Ghana on Friday losing 4-0, but that did not deter Vivian from sending a warning to Edo Queens and others in the competition.

“Be rest assured Hasaacas will win the trophy,” she said.

The qualifier will start this weekend in Cote d’Ivoire.

For the first time in their history, Edo Queens have emerged as the champions of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Premiership. 

The Benin City-based team clinched the title in dramatic final-day showdown following a 1-1 draw against Bayelsa Queens at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa, on Matchday Five of the 2023/2024 Super Six.

Despite needing a win to secure their position regardless of other results, Moses Aduku’s side managed to top the standings. They had to keep an eye on the match between seven-time champions Rivers Angels and Super Six debutants Heartland Queens in Nembe, which also had title implications.

Bayelsa Queens nearly took the lead in the sixth minute when Mary Anjor’s cross was mishandled by Mercy Omokwo, who missed an open net. This miss proved costly as Edo Queens capitalized on a corner kick in the 29th  minute, with Emem Essien scoring an acrobatic goal from inside the six-yard box.

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At half time, with the match between Rivers Angels and Heartland Queens still goalless, both teams in Yenagoa intensified their search for a decisive goal. Four minutes into the second half, Bayelsa Queens equalized through Zainab Olopade, who converted a free kick following a foul on Anjor near the box.

In Nembe, Rivers Angels took the lead in the 72nd  minute with a goal from Olamide Adugbe, shifting the table in their favour. This put pressure on both teams in Yenagoa to find another goal to reclaim the top spot. Bayelsa Queens needed more goals to surpass their South-South neighbours.

However, Heartland Queens played spoilers for Rivers Angels as substitute Emmanuella James scored from a goalmouth scramble, equalizing on the dot of 90 minutes. This twist returned the title race in favour of Edo Queens.

Ultimately, both deciding matches ended in 1-1 draws, securing the league title for Edo Queens for the first time. Rivers Angels missed out on their chance to win a record-breaking eighth title to finish second, while Bayelsa Queens also fell short of claiming their sixth title to end in third after successes in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2018, and the 2021/2022 seasons.

Edo Queens will now represent Nigeria at the 2024 West Africa Zone B (WAFU-B) Women’s Champions League Qualifiers, with the opportunity to qualify for the fourth edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League.

In addition to the giant trophy, the Benin Arsenals received a cash prize of 10 million naira after securing 10 points. The first runners-up, Rivers Angels, were awarded 5 million naira, edging out Bayelsa Queens, who received 3 million naira, due to their superior goals scored despite both teams being tied on nine points.

Meanwhile, Nasarawa Amazons edged Confluence Queens 1-0 in the last game of the Super Six in Yenagoa. It took Regina Omede’s second-minute goal to separate both sides in the North Central Derby.

Nasarawa Amazons finished fourth with seven points, ahead of fifth Heartland Queens and sixth Confluence Queens, who both ended the tournament with three points each.

On individual awards, FC Robo Queens’ Folashade Ijamilusi, who scored eight goals this season, won the season’s top goal scorer award ahead of Goodness Osigwe (Edo Queens) and Ojiyovwi Kesiena (Nasarawa Amazons), who both scored seven goals. 

Rivers Angels’ Morufa Ademola was voted the goalkeeper of the season after her heroic efforts led the Jewels of Rivers to a second-place finish at the season-ending Super Six. The Fair Play award went to the hosts Bayelsa Queens, who finished third.

The Nigeria Women’s Football League Premiership  regular season  ended on a high note as Benin Ladies and Prosperity Girls nicked the final two Super Six tickets while Royal Queens and Sunshine Queens suffered demotion to the lower league.

By Tunde Liadi 

All is now set for the Nigeria Women’s Football League Premiership Super Six following the conclusion of the regular season and the determination of the six teams that will vie for the season ending competition from where the 2023-24 League champions would be known. 

Though no host has been secured for the competition and the organisers of the league are yet to fix a date for the event, it  has been a fascinating season filled with  thrills and frills  as well as shocks before the six teams for the Super Six got their berths.

Before the conclusion of the season on Thursday, four teams: Nasarawa Amazons, Confluence Queens, Heartland Queens (Group A) and Rivers Angels (Group B) had already secured their places before the final game. It was left for Group B to produce the remaining two teams for the Super Six slots to be sorted. 

It went typically according to script despite a late dogged fight by FC Robo Queens to crash the Super Six party with a surprise victory in Yenagoa against Bayelsa Queens. The Emmanuel Osahon’s girls had mathematically ruled themselves out of the race for the Super Six ticket following their goalless home draw against Delta Queens in Lagos. 

But FC Robo Queens went down with a fight ensuring that they ended the season with a win. Folashade Ijamilusi bagged a double in the 38th  and 65th  minutes to put the Lagos darling team in driver’s seat before Bayelsa Queens reduced the tally in the 90th minute through Blessing Abiola.

FC Robo finished fourth but were only out of the Super Six because of inferior goals difference to beaten Bayelsa Queens who got the third ticket in Group B by the virtue of superior goals scored. Both teams ended the season with 22 points. It was a poor end to the regular season for the Prosperity Girls who were beaten in their final two games of the season. Pressure will be on head coach, Domo Okara to arrest the sudden slump if Bayelsa Queens are to be among the favourites for the league title. 

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The South South derby in Asaba between Delta Queens and Edo Queens produced the remaining Super Six ticket. Edo Queens had beaten Remo Stars Ladies 1-0 in the penultimate game of the season to ensure they go into the final game requiring just a draw to qualify for the Super Six even in the worse scenario.

The Moses Adukwu’s  girls came out gun blazing right from the kick off and they thought they had bagged the maximum points when Amarachi Odoma shot them ahead in the 87th minute but the reigning league champions conjured their way to get the equaliser on the stroke of full time through Arit Itu. Edo Queens finished the regular season campaign in the second spot with 23 points while Delta Queens ended it in sixth spot with 17 points. 

In other Group B game, Remo Stars Ladies pipped Sunshine Queens 2-1 to cement their fifth spot with 18 points ahead of Delta Queens in only their debut season in the topflight. Adaobi Okoh got a brace for the Ikenne girls while Taiwo Ajibade bagged Sunshine Queens’ consolation goal. But Sunshine Queens ended their solitary season in the topflight with demotion back to the lower league because of the defeat. A win in Ikenne would have been sufficient for another stint in the topflight next season. 

It was Sunshine Queens’ neighbouring State, Ekiti Queens that got the last topflight ticket secured following their 2-0 home win over highly rated Rivers Angels in Ekiti’s Kayode Oluyemi Stadium. Odunayo Adeleye and Rashidat Salau with the two goals that downed the Jewels of Rivers. 

In Group A, the battle for the sole team that would be relegated to the lower league went down to the wires at the conclusion of both games on Thursday morning in Gombe and Abuja respectively. 

Naija Ratels thrashed Abia Angels 3-0 in Abuja through Agama Ziperekefeghe, Augustina Unamba and Grace Saliu first half goals. They came fifth with 17 points while Abia Angels finished seventh with 14 points. The Benjamin Nwoke led side lost their final three league games of the season but still managed to survive by the skin of their teeth. 

It was Royal Queens that were relegated even though they finished the season with the same number of points (14) and the same number of goals difference (-9) with Abia Angels that got the last topflight slot. The tie breaker was the number of goals both scored. Abia Angels got 11 goals during the regular season and conceded 20 goals while Royal Queens scored seven goals and conceded 16 goals. It was a sad end to Royal Queens’ season despite battling to a goalless draw against Adamawa Queens in Gombe’s Pantami Stadium.

In the other Group A game, Confluence Queens were held to a goalless draw at the Edo State University Pitch, Iyarmho by Nasarawa Amazons who topped the group with 27 points. Confluence Queens came second with 25 points. 

Heartland finished third with 24 points despite suffering a 2-0 defeat to Dannaz Ladies in Lagos. Delight Isaac’s double fetched her team’s huge win. Dannaz thus finished the season in fourth spot with 18 points.