Super Falcons plot Australia’s fall after draw with Canada

• Eguavoen, others commend team

Coach of the Super Falcons, Randy Waldrum, says he has shifted his focus to their second group match against co-hosts, Australia, after the team picked a vital point against Olympics champions, Canada, in the early hours of yesterday.

Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was saviour, as she made double saves to deny Canada’s veteran striker, Christine Sinclair, from the spot five minutes after the break.

Nnadozie, who captained the team, picked the Best Player of the Match award. Apart from stopping the penalty, the Paris FC goaltender also made a number of crucial saves in the keenly contested encounter played at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

The Randy Waldrum’s side finished the game with 10 players after 19-year-old versatile midfielder, Deborah Abiodun, was sent off in regulation time.

Speaking after the game, the coach said he would focus his attention on their next group match against Australia at the Brisbane Stadium on Thursday, July 27.

“We are done with Canada, and the next game against Australia is very crucial. Apart from being co-host, Australia are very good. But I feel our girls can hold them. We need the victory,” Waldrum stated.

It was a spirited performance for the Super Falcons, yesterday, as the players put up a solid display defensively and limited the Canadian attackers from getting a lot of looks. They almost lost it when Francesca Ordega conceded a penalty early in the second half, which Nnadozie saved.

The match was played at 3.30am (Nigeria time). Nnadozie showed great command in the goalpost with calmness.

On the other hand, the duo of Francesca Ordega and Asisat Oshoala did not live up to the expectations of many football fans.

Ordega was not convincing enough in the game, as she did not offer much in the attack. To make matters worse, she caused the penalty that Nigeria conceded. She was substituted for Uchenna Kanu, who added some bite to the left side of Nigeria’s attack.

On her part, Oshoala was expected to be the outlet for the Super Falcons, but she did not have a lot of looks at goal. The Barcelona star failed to use her flair and speed to beat the Canadian defenders. Nonetheless, it was a decent performance from her.

Striker, Ifeoma Onumonu, did not offer much in Super Falcons’ attack, though she got commendation from Super Falcons’ fans. In a game against Canada that Nigeria needed to be at their best, she failed to do enough even though she had the Super Falcons’ solitary shot on target.

While the Super Falcons and their Canadian counterparts shared the points yesterday, co-host, Australia defeated Northern Ireland 1-0 to move to the top of the group.

Meanwhile, the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Austin Eguavoen, has described Super Falcons’ goalless draw against Canada as a solid point.

“They did well against Canada, and I wish coach Randy Waldrum and the players all the best in the rest of their group matches.”

The Guardian recalls that the Super Falcons have failed to score in 13 of their 16 matches at the Women’s World Cup, and have won only two of those games with one of those wins against Canada (1-0) in 2011, while the other was at the most recent tournament – a 2-0 win over South Korea in 2019.