The Super Falcons will tomorrow begin their campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a difficult but a winnable opening group game against South American champions Brazil.
Falcons clawed back a three-goal deficit, but Seleção had the last laugh😬#Nigeria; the only African team to have reached the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals.
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) July 18, 2023
Lost 4-3 to Brazil on the Golden Goal rule, a heartbreaking end to a memorable #FIFAWWC for the Super Falcons in 1991. pic.twitter.com/ZfMcUByqxC
The match will be played inside the Matmut Atlantique Stadium in Bordeaux and will kick off by 6pm.
The Super Falcons are back to the Olympics 16 years since they last featured and coincidentally they were beaten 3-1 by Brazil at the Beijing 2008 Games.
The other head-to-head meeting between the two countries was at the 1999 World Cup, where the Super Falcons lost 4-3 after extra time via the Golden Goal rule.
If Brazil will be a tough nut to crack for the nine-time African champions, they will also have to contend with reigning world champions Spain and 2011 champions Japan to get out of Group C.
The Samba Girls, who will host the 2027 World Cup, will be led by the legendary Martha (38 years, 183 caps, 118 goals) were disappointing at last year’s World Cup after they failed to go past the group rounds.
For the Super Falcons, this will be their fourth Olympics with their best performance being reaching the quarterfinal at the Athens 2004 Games, where they were eliminated by Germany 2-1.
At the Paris Olympics the Super Falcons will be buoyed by their outing at last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where they against all odds got out of ‘Group of Death’ that included co-hosts Australia and reigning Olympic champions Canada.
They trained for two weeks in Sevilla, Spain, where they played a test game against Canada, which they lost by the odd goal.
Coach Randy Waldrum said he is pleased with performance of the team despite the loss.
“We were very good in the attacking phase, our possession was good,” offered an upbeat Waldrum.
“I thought it was a much better performance than we had in the World Cup against them (Canada).
“We created more chances against them than we did at the World Cup.
“I have seen a lot of improvement since the World Cup until now.”
The team will be without two players who played crucial roles at the World Cup – Ashleigh Plumptre and Halimatu Ayinde – no thanks to injury.
Japan-based Chindinma Okeke and Nicole Payne will battle for the first-team spot vacated by right back Plumptre, while the energy of Deborah Abiodun will be expected to make up for the experience and efficiency Ayinde provided in midfield.
The squad has been boosted by additional firepower in the shape of Mexico-based striker Chinwendu Ihezuo, whose power and tireless runs will always trouble any defence.
