Nigeria captain Onome Ebi has revealed the full extent of her hamstring injury suffered during the Super Falcons’ semi-final loss to Morocco in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.
Ebi pulled up during the second half of the match that Nigeria lost 5-4 on post-match penalties, in which they played a large part with nine players following red cards shown to Rasheedat Ajibade and Halimat Ayinde.
With Nigeria, who were tipped to win a record-extending 10th title and fourth straight, facing Zambia in the third-place play-off on Friday, the Super Falcons veteran will be among a number of high-profile absentees and she has revealed just how severe the damage is.
“I'm out due to a hamstring injury (biceps femoris muscle tear –Grade 2) and could require between six weeks to two months to recover,” Ebi posted on social media.
“I suffered the injury in the grueling semi-final battle against Morocco on Monday that we lost on penalty shootout in Rabat. I will be back."
Nigeria suffered a major blow at the start of the tournament when striker Asisat Oshoala was ruled out for the rest of the championship after suffering an injury in their opening match against South Africa, which the Super Falcons lost 2-1.
Tests showed that five-time African Player of the Year Oshoala suffered a Grade 2 medial ligament strain in the sixth minute of the clash and will be out for five weeks.
Meanwhile, this could be the final Wafcon for Ebi, who has won it four times in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018. The 39-year-old, who plays for FC Minsk in Belarus, has been a mainstay at the heart of the Super Falcons’ defence since making her debut in 2003.
Ebi, who has 104 caps for Nigeria while scoring two goals, became the first African player to feature at five World Cups three years ago, after taking part in the 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions.
She could extend the record to six since the Super Falcons have already qualified for next year’s tournament in New Zealand and Australia by virtue of reaching the Wafcon semi-finals.
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