Everton Women of England attacker, Toni Payne has confessed the depth of her delight after scoring again for the Nigerian national team, Super Falcons, almost five years since she last hit target for the squad, Sports247 reports.
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The latest historic moment came for Payne during Friday’s international friendly against Senegal, when she hit the bullseye at Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne and sealed a shaky 2-1 victory for the 10-time African champions.
Five-time African Women Footballer of The Year, Asisat Oshoala opened scoring for Nigeria from the penalty spot, after which Payne doubled the lead and gave the Falcons an edge into half-time, but Senegal pulled one back after the break.
The Falcons barely held on to claim victory, after which The Toffees’ attacker, whose full name is Antionette Oyedupe Payne, admitted she was excited to eventually end her drought, especially with the team heading into the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
”I’m happy to score after almost five years and feel just really good to do it here in Nigeria,” said Payne, who will aim for more goals against Zambia, Egypt and Malawi at WAFCON 2026, which is Africa’s qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Sports247 reports further that Toni Payne, who was born on April 22nd, 1995 and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, USA by her Nigerian parents, is the older sister of fellow footballers Stephen and Nicole Payne.
She declared her intention to switch her international career to Nigeria in 2019 and later made her senior debut on February 18th, 2021 versus CSKA Moscow of Russia at the Turkish Cup, then got her full international two days later against Uzbekistan.
Payne was part of Nigeria’s squads for the 2022 and 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, while also being included in the Falcons’ teams for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2024 Olympic Games.
