by Genevieve Henry (23/6/23)
Above: Nigeria’s Super Falcons – ready to cause upsets at the World Cup. Photo: Premium Times Nigeria.
Nigeria, known as the Super Falcons, are the best African team in history. Having won more African Cup of Nations titles than any other team, they have petered out somewhat in recent years, and are in a tough group at this World Cup.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC), Tochukwu Oluehi (Hakkarigücü Spor), Yewande Baogun (Saint-Étienne).
Defenders: Onome Ebi (Abia Angels), Osinachi Ohale, (Alavés), Glory Ogbonna (Beşiktaş), Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, Rofiat Imuran (Reims), Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash), Oluwatosin Demehin (Reims).
Midfielders: Halimatu Ayinde (Rosengård), Rasheedat Ajibade (Atlético Madrid), Tonu Payne (Sevilla), Christy Ucheibe (Benfica), Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels), Jennifer Echegini (Florida State Seminoles).
Forwards: Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville), Gift Monday (Granadilla Tenerife), Ifeoma Onumonu (NJ/NY Gotham), Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona), Desire Oparanozie (Wuhan Jianghan University), Francisca Ordega (CSKA Moscow), Esther Okoronkwo (Saint-Étienne).
Head Coach
Under the management of Randy Waldrum, this team has seen a string of average results, with comprehensive wins over weaker teams and pretty bad losses to the kind of opposition they will face this summer in Australia and New Zealand. The American coach has been an international manager before, he managed Trinidad and Tobago’s women’s national team, as well as being a top university coach. This experience has not transferred over to Nigeria, however, as the team have underperformed lately. Waldrum will need to use all of his managerial prowess to try to impress at the Women’s World Cup.
How they qualified
Nigeria qualified for their ninth straight World Cup by winning their quarter-final match at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations over Cameroon. They went on to finish fourth at the tournament, after losing their semi-final to Morocco on penalties. They followed this up by losing the third/fourth place playoff to Zambia.
World Cup history
Nigeria have qualified for every World Cup. Their best tournament came in 1999 when they reached the quarter-finals. This was achieved with a second-place finish in Group A with wins over North Korea and Denmark and a loss to the USA. Nigeria then produced a sensational performance in the last eight, coming from 3-0 down after just 35 minutes to level the match up with Brazil before going down 4-3 in extra-time.
Key Players
Asisat Oshoala is regarded as one of the greatest female African footballers of all time. She has won African Women’s Footballer of the Year five times, more than anyone else. The 28-year-old Barcelona striker is highly decorated for country and club, as well as individually. She is the first female African footballer to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Another fantastic goalscorer for the Super Falcons is Uchenna Kanu. In her five appearances for her country, she has scored 10 goals. The 25-year-old plays in the NWSL for Racing Louisville, where she is facing high-calibre competition that continues to test her en route to the World Cup.
At the other end of the pitch is the Super Falcons’ captain, the rock and legend that is Onome Ebi. She has been playing for her country for 20 years and has participated in five FIFA World Cup Tournaments. The 40-year-old Levante Las Planas defender brings her leadership, defensive prowess, and major tournament experience to the side. With all of these players, Nigeria are capable of causing problems.
One to watch
The Super Falcons also have lots of young talent coming up through the ranks. One, in particular, is Gift Monday. The 21-year-old striker has been shining for UDG Tenerife in La Liga as well as for her country. She is a natural leader, captaining the youth national side at World Cups as well as leading the team to their first African Games gold medal in 12 years.
Strengths
The Super Falcons have many effective pathways to goal through their prolific strikers. They also have a relatively solid defensive line, rarely conceding many goals even against the best opposition.
Development Areas
Current form which sees them achieving below potential. Head coach Randy Waldrum has to find a way to spark his team into life ahead of a fiendish looking World Cup group.
Success would be
Reaching the knockout stages. Nigeria are in one of the toughest groups in the tournament and doing so would be a sensational achievement.
Prediction:
They may end up finishing at the bottom of their group. This is less of a reflection of their quality, but more of a look at the difficulty of the teams they will face.
Group B Fixtures
21st July – Canada, AAMI Park, Melbourne.
27th July – Australia, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
31st July – Republic of Ireland, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
To read the other World Cup nation previews published so far, click on this link: https://impetusfootball.org/international-football/
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