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Nigeria win fourth women's title
By Mark Gleeson
BBC Sport, Johannesburg


Defending champions Nigeria beat Cameroon 5-0 in the Johannesburg Stadium on
Sunday to win the African Women's Championship for a record fourth time.

Perpetua Nwocha turned the final into a personal triumph, scoring four goals
as Nigeria hammered the Indomitable Lionesses in a one-sided final.

Nwocha scored her hat-trick inside the first half and added one more in the
second as the Super Falcons maintained their position as the undisputed
queens of women's football on the continent.

Vera Okolo got a deserved goal eight minutes from the end when Nwocha turned
provider with a brilliant pass into the Cameroon penalty area, where Okolo
had an easy finish.

The Super Falcons have won every edition of the women's championship ever
played - in 1998, 2000, 2002 and now 2004.

Nwocha will not forget this fourth success, with the forward being named the
tournament's best player in addition to picking up the leading goalscorer
award, finishing the two-week event with nine goals.

The first of her four goals was the best, breaking the deadlock after 15
minutes with a stunning long-range free-kick that dipped just inside the
right-hand post of Cameroon goalkeeper Elvire Mbappe.

Poor marking by Cameroon allowed Nwocha her second as she side-footed home a
square cross from Okolo, who also turned in a sprightly performance.

The pint-sized Okolo then set up Nwocha's third as the Nigerian completed
her hat-trick three minutes before the interval.

On the hourmark, poor defending in the Indomitable Lionesses' defence
allowed Nwocha an unchallenged shot which she converted to give her side a
four-goal lead.




Cameroon, who had held Nigeria to a 2-2 draw last week in the group stages
of the finals, were never a match for the motivated Super Falcons.

The best chance for the shell-shocked Lionesses came in first-half stoppage
time when Antoinette Anounga rounded the Nigerian goalkeeper but was then
caught by the defence before she had the chance to steer the ball into an
empty net.

True to form at this event, the game tapered off in the last quarter-hour as
both teams ran out of steam, with fitness having proved a real problem for
all the sides at the eight-team championship.

The match was watched by a crowd of some 5,000 Nigerian expatriates and a
further 2,000 Cameroonians, with the Johannesburg Stadium only half-full for
the final.


Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi/football/africa/3711772.stm

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