The Super Falcons of Nigeria have landed in Australia for the 2023 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The showpiece will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.
Super Falcons defender Glory Ogbonna announced the team’s arrival on her Twitter handle.
“Glory to God for safe landing 🛬🇦🇺.”
The Randy Waldrum led side will have all their group matches in Australia.
They have been placed in Group B alongside hosts Australia, Republic of Ireland and Canada.
The Nigerian team’s first match will be against Canada on July 21 at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
The Super Falcons are the only African team to take part in all FIFA Women’s World Cups since it’s inception in China 1991.
3 Comments
When the Super Falxons arrived is not as important as what tmes they play their matches. Complete Sports could help Nigerians with conversions of Australian to Nigerian time, so people do not get too puzzled and tune in at the wrong times.Melbourne where the Super Falcons face Canada on the 21 Jjuly is 9 hours ahead of Lagos!!!
Thank God for journey mercies. It is now time to get to work in whipping the team into shape for the challenges ahead.
Randy Waldrum is a notorious slow starter.
He failed to defeat South Africa in the first game of last year’s Afcon whilst recording flat losses against USA and Canada in their first games (in two 2-part series) before coming up stronger in the second games – almost grabbing a victory against Canada and almost forcing USA to a draw.
So, the American must go against his grain and start strong against Canada in 16 days time.
Canada can be beaten – Waldrum’s ladies were close to doing just that last year in Canadian backyard. Australia less so but a result against Ireland is very possible. Then it is likely England in the second round.
Once the ladies get down to business, anything can happen. I am eagerly waiting for Waldrum to arrive and hopefully he will be allowed to come with his sidekick Lauren Gregg.
My ideal starting 11 in a 4-3-3 formation is: Nnadozie, Alozie, Plumptre, Ohale, Demehin, Ucheibe, Payne, Echegini, Monday, Oshoala, Onumonu.
Worryingly, Waldrum stated in an interview that he doesn’t know the fitness status of the players he selected. He said he wanted 3 weeks camping in June in Nigeria to gauge player fitness before picking trimming his final list of 23 but the NFF failed to make it happen.
With Ajibade and Ayinde serving suspensions due to reckless red cards in the Wafcon against Morocco, options in the midfield will be wafer thin if any of Echegini, Payne and Ucheibe report to camp with fitness issues. It will be foolhardy to send rookie Abiodun out against Canada but options maybe limited.
Good luck to the team all the same.
Nff deserve some strokes of the whip for sabotaging the coach’s preparation plans,I’ve always been a strong critic of Randy Waldrum but recent events have made me wonder if it’s entirely his fault,with regards to how we play etc.
I see a pattern here.
Before last year’s wafcon the SF didn’t play any friendlies and it affected how they approached the tournament now no friendlies and we want to surpass the round of 16,yeah,good luck with that.
Like I said in one other SF related post”I’ll support the SF,but not with expectations”.