Gift Monday is hoping her impressive start to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will lead to more goals when Nigeria meet Cameroon in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
The Washington Spirit attacker needed only four minutes to announce herself at the tournament after coming off the bench against Egypt.
Monday entered the game in place of Asisat Oshoala, who had put Nigeria ahead from the penalty spot before leaving the pitch with a knock. The substitute quickly made her presence felt, turning home Rinsola Babajide’s cross during added time in the first half.
The goal came after Babajide combined with Toni Payne from a corner before driving into the area and delivering a low ball across goal. Monday found room inside a crowded box and finished from close range to put Nigeria back in front.
Egypt had levelled earlier through Nadine Ghazi from the penalty spot, but Nigeria regained control and went on to claim a convincing 6-2 victory in Rabat.
Monday also played a role in another goal as the Super Falcons completed their biggest win of the group stage and booked a place in the last eight.
Speaking about her debut, the forward said she was delighted to finally get her opportunity.
“I feel really happy,” Monday said. “I am so honoured. I feel grateful for the opportunity and also for the chance that I got, and all thanks to my teammates. I’m also grateful to my teammate for creating the opportunity for me to score.”
Her journey to the tournament has been a difficult one. Monday missed Nigeria’s previous WAFCON squad despite producing a strong first campaign in the NWSL following her move from UD Tenerife to Washington Spirit.
She was also left out of the team for the qualifiers against Benin Republic last October before being brought back into the fold for friendly matches against Cameroon earlier this year.
Her preparation for this tournament was further affected after flight delays meant she arrived in camp late with fellow Spirit player Deborah Abiodun.
As a result, Monday watched Nigeria’s first two group matches from the bench. She remained patient, however, insisting that the players who had been selected deserved their opportunities.
“As a player, I so much believe in opportunities and time, and as you can see, the girls that have been playing have been doing fantastically well,” she said.
“The most important thing is that we are getting the results as a team, which is very good for me and also for the team.”
After her eye-catching performance against Egypt, Monday is now focused on earning another opportunity against Cameroon.
She believes there is still plenty she can improve on and plans to work harder in training ahead of the knockout clash.
“I’m just going to go back to the training ground, try to push myself, try to improve in my game because I feel like even with the result we got in that game, I feel like I can still do better,” she said.
