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Nigeria’s Super Falcons return to women’s tournament Olympic A football tournament with a certain fear factor for all opponents, and Brazil are first to face the girls with swagger in what promises to be an explosive Group C opener in the city of Bordeaux on Thursday night.
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In years past, pundits would have dismissed the clash as a routine three-peat for the South Americans, who continue to produce some of the world’s best legs in the game.
But a lot has changed over the past year and a half, and judging by their performance in last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup final, any team that underestimates the nine-time African champions could end up with a black eye and a bloody nose.
The Falcons return to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in the same fashion as they left, against Brazil. Their last match in the tournament was against Brazil, when they lost 1-3 to the Canarinhas in front of 51,112 spectators at the impressive Workers’ Stadium in Beijing, China. Perpetua Nkwocha’s penalty that gave Nigeria the lead was cancelled out by a Cristiane hat-trick that sent Brazil into the quarter-finals.
However, women’s football fans around the world believe Thursday’s match at the 42,000-capacity Stade Matmut Atlantique in the south of France will be far more competitive and entertaining.
Nigeria’s national team is currently packed with highly gifted, talented and enterprising professionals who continue to dazzle for their clubs in Europe and America and suffer no anxiety or palpitations when taking to the pitch against the best teams anywhere, as was seen in Australia 12 months ago.
Under, The girls coached by American Randy Waldrum successfully defeated Olympic champions Canada, defeated exciting hosts Australia and drew with an ambitious Republic of Ireland team in Brisbane to reach the last 16.
There, they hit England several times but were unable to get that all-important goal, eventually losing after a penalty shoot-out following a goalless regular time and extra time.
Only reserve goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi remains part of the Falcons’ squad from that 2008 experience in China, but goalkeeper Ann Chiejine, an assistant coach for the team in France, was part of a memorable encounter with the Brazilians in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in the United States.
Nigeria came back from 3-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 but lost by a ‘golden goal’ at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Maryland.
On Thursday, neither side will be beating around the bush and the focus will be on the three points as the race for quarter-final places begins.
Coach Waldrum can afford to be confident, with world-class goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, defensive stalwarts Osinachi Ohale, Michelle Alozie Oluwatosin Demehin and Chidinma Okeke, midfielders Rasheedat Ajibade, Christy Ucheibe, Deborah Abiodun and Toni Payne, and forwards Chinwendu Ihezuo and Uchenna Kanu.
The Super Falcons overcame counterparts from Ethiopia, Cameroon and South Africa to reach the final tournament and undoubtedly possess the steel and style to go all the way in France.
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