The Super Falcons secured a convincing victory over Les Aigles Féminines of Tunisia at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, on Sunday.
The Nigerians made a dream start, finding the back of the net within the first four minutes.
A well-delivered free-kick from Rinsola Babajide was nodded home by Asisat Oshoala to give the Super Falcons an early lead.
From there, they maintained firm control of the match, dictating the tempo and keeping Tunisia on the back foot, with the North Africans unable to retain possession for long spells.
To compound Tunisia’s troubles, Nigeria doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time as Babajide calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper.
Just minutes before the whistle to end the first half, Ashleigh Plumptre had the ball in the back of the net, but after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed.
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Heading into the second half with a commanding 2-0 lead, Nigeria opted to make several substitutions, bringing off key players Oshoala, Babajide and Deborah Abiodun.
Despite the changes, the Super Falcons maintained their dominance and continued to press forward in search of a third goal.
Their persistence paid off in the 84th minute when substitute Chinwendu Ihezuo calmly slotted home to seal a comprehensive 3-0 victory for the Nigerians in Group B.
Despite being subbed off at half-time, Babajide made a remarkable impact in the opening half, registering both a goal and an assist to kick off the competition in style.
The Tunisians were largely ineffective throughout the match, conceding two goals and failing to pose any real threat in attack.
Despite a few moments of promise, Tunisia were unable to create clear-cut chances, ultimately falling short in both execution and intent.