… it will be Super Falcons’ toughest game, says Nnadozie
A win or a draw for the Super Falcons of Nigeria would be their first-ever unbeaten run in the group stage of the Women’s World Cup competition.
The Falcons have four points after two games and need to avoid defeat against the Irish before booking a round-of-16 ticket.
Meanwhile, Ireland are out of the competition after losing two matches.
The Women’s World Cup face-off between Ireland and Nigeria is billed for today, Monday, July 31st. It kicks off at 11:00 am (WAT/Nigeria Time) at the Brisbane Stadium, Australia.
In spite of the issues with the payment of bonuses before the tournament, the Super Falcons have surprised many with their exceptional performance in the ongoing Women’s World Cup game.
The Falcons played a goalless draw with Canada in their opener, before defeating co-hosts Australia in front of their massive home crowd.
Nigeria’s best outing came in 1999 when they reached the quarter-final.
Rated lowest on the FIFA ranking, avoiding defeat against the Irish will earn the Falcons a point to advance to the knockout phase of the competition for the second consecutive time, and victory guarantees the Super Falcons top of Group B standings. If that happens, that will be the first time for Nigeria who have played in all editions of the competition, channelstv.com reports.
But Waldrum wants more.
“We’re looking for a win as that could see us finish top of the table,” the American said.
“I know the 1999 team were very successful, when Nigeria reached the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals at that tournament, and we’ve got out of the group stage twice in our history, but I don’t know that any team has had this kind of competition in the group before,” Waldrum added.
Though the Super Falcons are soaring, the same cannot be said of their Irish rivals who have lost their first two games. Ireland have not scored from open play in the tournament. They have just scored once through Katie McCabe. On their maiden World Cup quest, they are however ready to fight for pride and end the tournament on a high.
“Obviously, we’re hoping to go in and win. That’s our main goal. I think we have that in our locker. After all, we’ve been through in the tournament, I think it would be great if we could end with a win.
“That’s what all the girls are hoping for. Just get a win and make our fans proud. They came all the way over to support us,’ forward Abbie Larkin told FIFA.
Both sides have never played themselves. Today (Monday)’s match will be the first encounter between both sides. But Ireland had last June beaten Zambia in a friendly clash. They defeated the Copper Queens 3-2 in Dublin, their only win in the last seven matches.
Aside from Super Falcons’ Deborah Abiodun, who is still serving a suspension, Nigeria do not have injury challenges going into the clash. Asisat Oshoala, the scorer of the Randy Waldrum side’s third goal against the Maltidas, is expected to start the game having come from the bench on Thursday.
The Republic of Ireland also have no injury scare as they aim to bow out on a high.
While Ireland are out of the competition after losing two matches, the Super Falcons’ goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie has declared the Europeans won’t be a walkover.
“Well, I think this would be the toughest game because Ireland, they’ve lost two games, so our game against them will be their last game. So they would want to come out strong,” she told Channels Television ahead of the battle between Nigeria and Ireland.
“They would want to play, play out everything. They would want to get a win before going. And to us, this is a game we really need to qualify (for the next stage). We either need a draw or a win. So I think we just have to keep the mental cool.
“We don’t need to rush anything. We just have to take our time and do what we know how to do best. And I think we have to work harder, you know, to get a win in this game.”
The Super Falcons went into the tournament with squabbles about bonuses overshadowing their preparations. Rated lowest in Group B, many fans and pundits did not fancy Nigeria’s chances in the competition.
Nevertheless, with four points from two games, including the win against co-hosts Australia propelling them up to the top of the Group B standings, the goaltender has partly pinned the performance to the unity in the team.
“For the past few months, we’ve been going for international friendlies. Sometimes when you know there is a victory ahead of you, you have to prepare ahead. So, there is one love in the team,” the Paris FC player said.
“The spirit is high, the morale is high. There is unity. We’ve been working on this for so many months, you know, and I think if we are not able to put it through, it means that we’ve not been doing something. So, it shows we’ve been working and this team is a really good team,” she added.
