Super Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plumptre has shared her excitement after making a competitive return in Nigeria’s 3-0 victory over Tunisia in their Group B opener at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The Ittihad Ladies centre-back, who was instrumental in maintaining a clean sheet and creating key chances from the left side of defence, described the win as an ideal start to the campaign.
“Three Goals and a Clean Sheet” – Plumptre
Reflecting on the match, Plumptre admitted there were nerves heading into the team’s first tournament game but was full of praise for the performance and result.
“I feel really happy, obviously it’s the first game of the tournament so there’s a lot of like nerves you know going into the first game, nerves and excitement but to come out with three goals and a clean sheet I think it’s a nice way to start the tournament.”
“We’ll Take This as a Good Stepping Stone” – Ashleigh Plumptre on Super Falcons
Plumptre was also quick to acknowledge areas for growth, both in defence and attack, but remained optimistic about the team’s trajectory.
“I think we’ll take this as a good stepping stone into the next game, obviously we’ll look back and see like what we did well but what we need to improve on going into the next game.
“I think attacking wise and defensively, we probably could have been a little bit better in terms of our standards but for sure we’re happy with the three points.”
A Commanding Presence
Ashleigh Plumptre came close to scoring in the match, had a goal ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper, and later provided the cross that led to Nigeria’s third goal, finished by Chinwendu Ihezuo.
Her defensive solidity and composure under pressure handed a strong return for the player, who missed Nigeria’s recent Olympic qualifiers due to injury.
With her form looking sharp, Plumptre will be key to Nigeria’s hopes as they chase a record-extending 10th WAFCON title, and next face Botswana in a crucial second group game on Thursday, July 10.
