Nigerians on Monday praised the Super Falcons as they bowed 2-4 via penalty to the Three Lionesses of England in the round of 16 at the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women World Cup co-hosted by Australia/New Zealand.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the nine-time African champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria, went toe-to-toe against the Three Lionesses of England and were the better team in spite of the 2-4 penalty shootout defeat.
A sports presenter with Super Screen Television, Olasunkanmi Shobowale, commended the coach Randy Waldrum-tutored side for putting up such a spirited fight.
“It was a high tempo match from the first half, but lack of creativity by our girls in the second half was their undoing, and they dropped the tempo.
“England went a lady down and adopted a cautious approach, passing around with much speed, yet our Falcons couldn’t press higher to exploit the vulnerability of the English defence.
“The coach failed to instruct the girls to cross the ball when Uchenna Kanu was on the pitch but later brought on the lightweight but technically experienced Oshoala to nod in crosses,” he said.
Shobowale added: “We played 210 minutes at the World Cup with no goal to show for it. No one wins the World Cup with a blunt attack.
“Chiamaka Nnadozie, our brilliant goalkeeper, was always calm, composed, and very assuring. Not hot-headed and very dependable. Kudos to the girl.
“Rashedat Ajibade is talented but not a team player. She holds on to it all too long for her strikers to waste away.
“A brilliant and maverick manager would have pushed Michelle Alozie further forward and played three at the back when the English ladies stopped running due to the red card. Her energy and ball-winning strength could have contributed further upfront.
Shobowale said the Falcons also failed to train ahead for a penalty kick. “We obviously didn’t train for that.
“Overall, the outing was not too bad this time around. The synergy, team cohesion, and team spirit have improved appreciably, and we can be proud of calling the Super Falcons our darling team once again.
“The Nigeria Football Federation should immediately replace Randy Waldrum with another competent foreign manager.”
Football pundit, Shina Okewale, told NAN that the Super Falcons had performed beyond his expectations.
“I am so impressed with the performances of the Super Falcons coming all the way to the round of 16; it’s a pleasant experience.
“We only lost on penalties, which is a bit of a no man’s game. To have held the free scoring English team scoreless for the entire duration of the match was a good one.
“The Super Falcons beat everyone’s expectations,” he said.
Coach Onome James, a grassroots club owner in Ughelli, praised the team’s performance against a resilient English team.
“For me, the Super Falcons got it right or almost got it right, the only snag is that they failed to wrap it up, especially after the red card to the Three Lionesses and also missed one-on-one goal-scoring chances.
“I was hoping that with the red card, the Falcons should have killed the game, but no matter what, they really tried because the England team had thought they would overrun our team.
“We were able to peg them down to a 0-0 score line. We ought to know that the English team is one of the best in female football,” he added.
For Oluwafemi Oyeniyi, there should be no blame game for the loss against the Three Lioness as he claimed that the Falcons were up to the task.
“Sincerely to be modest, the ladies performed beyond my expectations.” You see, in a game of this nature or level, one should expect some minor errors.
“The ladies really tamed them, but unfortunately luck was not on our side. The girls deserved a heroic welcome,” he said.
Another pundit, Oladayo Akindejoye, said: “That’s the game of football for you, sometimes a team with a man down tends to be more dangerous than a complete team.
“This is one of the best Super Falcons teams in decades. But some legs need to be retired, especially Francesca Ordega’s, as her impact wasn’t felt.
NAN reports that the Super Falcons in the Round of 32 were able to hold the Three Lionesses, ranked 36 places above them, and should have scored in the first quarter-hour when England-based defender Ashley Plumptre rocked the post with a shot from 22 yards and then followed up with another that went narrowly wide.
The match ended in a 2-4 loss for the Super Falcons after they lost their first two penalties while England lost one.
NAN
