Following the Super Falcons’ disappointing 2-1 defeat to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff encounter at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, Completesports.com’s ADEBOYE AMOSU appraises the performance of the players.
Chiamaka Nnadozie 6/10
The goalkeeper was not at fault for either of the two goals her side conceded. Her ball distribution was top-class throughout.
Shukurat Oladipo 6/10
The right-back was at fault for South Africa’s opening goal after failing to clear her lines. However, she made amends with her attacking contributions and produced an above-average performance overall.
Osinachi Ohale 6/10
Ohale put in a strong performance but was unable to prevent South Africa from finding the net twice.
Oluwatosin Demehin 6/10
Despite putting in a strong performance, she was unable to prevent her side from losing the game.
Michelle Alozie 6/10
The right-back came close to grabbing a late equaliser for Nigeria and put in a solid shift in the keenly contested encounter.
Deborah Abiodun 5/10
Abiodun was booked for a rash challenge in the first half before making way for Christy Ucheibe three minutes after the hour mark.
Read Also:2027 WWCQ: South Africa End Super Falcons World Cup Qualification Hopes After 2-1 Win
Jennifer Echegini 5/10
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder played to the gallery on a couple of occasions, and failed to make the desired impact.
Rasheedat Ajibade 5/10
The captain struggled to make a meaningful impact on the game. She delivered a below-par performance by her usual standards for the Super Falcons.
Francisca Ordega 6/10
A lively performance from the veteran winger. She was replaced by Folashade Ijamilusi in the 63rd minute.
Uchenna Kanu 6/10
She was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet despite putting in an energetic performance.
Asisat Oshoala 5/10
The experienced striker impressed with an energetic display in the first half but was replaced by Joy Omewa early in the second period.
Substitutes
Joy Omewa 3/10
She replaced Asisat Oshoala in the 55th minute, but struggled to make an impact following her introduction.
Folashade Ijamilusi 4/10
Ijamilusi looked lively after replacing Francisca Ordega. She came close to scoring directly from a corner kick deep into stoppage time.
Christy Ucheibe 4/10
The midfielder scored Nigeria’s only goal of the game, calmly converting from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
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Disappointing result. But I will not come down too hard on the players.
After all, these are the same group of players that won the trophy the last time.
In very difficult circumstances, they fought their way to the final, and then beat a very tough Morocco team right in front of their fanatic supporters.
So, what changed in just 2 years? How did that all conquering team become a whimpering mess, displaying a spirit so different from the fighting spirit they showed at the last Wafcon?
To start with, the administration has always been terrible.
Incompetence and corruption permeates the Glass House. Unpaid players bonuses all over the place, which no doubt dampened the players morale.
The players were promised money and other gifts after their Wafcon win. Just before this Wafcon began, a senior player revealed that they were yet to receive these promised items! There is no way the mood in camp was not impacted. Frustration, anger, disappointment. You don’t feel motivated to give your best as a player when this is your situation.
Recall the show of shame at the last women’s world cup between NFF and the players over match bonuses, where FIFA for the first time in their history, had to directly pay the players of a member nation, because they could not entrust funds to their football federation, the NFF.
Could it be that our ladies feel that if they shed tears and blood on the pitch and secure qualification, the NFF would once again attempt to reap where the did not sow? Rather than let that happen, did our ladies decide to choose self destruction? Why should baboon chop alone after monkey don work finish?
The Super Falcons were frustrated and misguided into failure by the NFF. Weeks before the Wafcon, our opponents were playing friendlies, while Nigeria was inactive. And the NFF sat in the Glass House and did nothing. The friendlies we eventually played were too few and too close to the competition, so meaningful changes to the squad was not possible.
I will also not blame Madugu for this calamity. My reason is simple. If we had a competent NFF, Madugu would likely not have been hired in the first place.
So the buck starts and stops with Gusau and his board. They have a lot of explaining to do. Dem go explain taya. No evidence.
@pompei – Good summation but one place where you missed the logical summary is when you proposed that maybe the girls/ladies felt that even if they shed tears and blood on the pitch, breaking barriers to rise to the occasion once more even in the face of much increased pressure or should I say improved opposition, that the blasted Gasau led NFF which is a den of unbelievably corrupt and myopic nepotists, pretty much like the nation (Nigeria) itself, will still be the only greedy barstewards reaping rewards where they did not sow at all, but where in fact, their only input was to disrupt progress and the common sense of progression, so therefore only the “baboon chops after the monkey’s hard work”and so because of this they decided to choose self destruction – No this thinking cannot be defended as even you yourself allured to in your next sentence that the -“SF were frustrated and misguided into failure”.
What needs to be understood here is that the teams who got the better of the girls this time around, Cameroon and South Africa (not including the cheats of Malawi playing with men), did so against a team already in decline, not primarily because of the external forces in opposition against it, but more importantly and much more significantly the internal pressure and wars operating and exerting unbearable pressures on it.
The ladies were not only fighting Cameroon or South Africa on the pitch,
No, they were also fighting many more battles (internally, mentally), battles that were much greater and made the actual football on the pitch seem like chicken feed -like the least of the opposition they had to conquer to be able to move forward sensibly and positively – the battles against, corruption, incompetence, and the mindless and unintelligent thieving morons running the affairs that dictate the conditions under which they must operate and attempt to excel, both the ladies and the men’s teams, including both the underage and grown age teams and every other normal individual or corporation, who aspires for better, living under the prevalent system and conditions in Nigeria with it’s corrupt institutions and officials.
Haba! one must not blame the girls ke, and I for one do not!
Afterall are they not only human like everybody else?? The fact that they even previously dominated throughout the last 20 or so years in this competition, is testament enough to their greatness, both individually and collectively and as Nigerians – Anybody operating under these severely crippling and unfavourable conditions will eventually also be in decline like our brave girls were in this competition – and as it was sadly though clearly shown.
So, to address the point you made – No, the girls didn’t decide to “down tools” but what happened was a natural progression for anyone or anything operating under the sort of conditions the SF’s were and have been operating under for years, the only differences is that this Gasau’s regime is the worst we’ve seen so far and the girls themselves started to feel and experience “burnout” which can happen to even the best among us.
I remain very proud of the girls – especially a gem like Ordega, who in my view has not got anywhere near the respect she deserves due to the system of mediocrity that prevails in Nigeria and absolutely abhor with all my strength the prevalent Nigerian systems and the morons enforcing these archaic and self deprecating barbaric systems.
No wonder, there is so much disrespect put on the name Nigeria the world over today!
DaTruth, thanks for your perspective.
Please see my comment –
“Could it be that our ladies feel that if they shed tears and blood on the pitch and secure qualification, the NFF would once again attempt to reap where the did not sow? Rather than let that happen, did our ladies decide to choose self destruction? Why should baboon chop alone after monkey don work finish?”
These are not accusations or allegations. These are just questions.
We are attempting to make sense of what happened.
While it is true that the team is aging, and other African teams are much improved, I believe with better admin and a better coach, our results could have been much better.
There in lies the main issue. Poor admin is the main issue.
With competent admin, everything else will fall into place. We would have hired a qualified coach, and we would have invited only the best players. The coach and the players would be well provided for, and properly motivated to excel.
What have we got to do with their ratings now for God’s sake?
I woke this morning, logged on to X (Twitter) and was confronted by Alhaji Gusau’s campaign poster to extend his NFF tenure for another 4 years.
Guess the title of his poster: CONTINUITY.
Continuity? Wonders shall never cease.
I have to confess, immediately I saw Francisca Ordega in the starting lineup against South Africa last night, I knew Madugu had lost the plot.
Without flogging this horse too much, these grannies now need to step aside. Ordega, Ohale, Ayinde, and Okobi should leave, like now.
Yes, I supported Madugu and wished for him to succeed. But, this problem is more than Madugu: Nigerian football is dying, overseen by the most woefully worst administrative inept and hopelessly corrupt NFF administrative in living memory.
In my lifetime, the NFF, then NFA, have never really been capable. But this Gusau administration is the worst of the worst. At least Pinnick, as corrupt as he was, prioritized the Super Eagles and Falcons and gave us Waldrum and Rohr.
This administration is giving us Finidi and Madugu. In my humble opinion, both gentlemen did their best under the circumstances. Had these same 2 coaches had a more solid footballing infrastructure to fall back on, maybe they could have performed better.
But clueless Gusau wanted to cut corners with these subpar coaches and also equipped them with subpar preparation, subpar support, subpar infrastructure. And what do you expect.
The Super Falcons are out of world cup contention – the first time in our history.
What’s next? Gusau will apologize to the president and the nation. After which he will run for NFF re-election under the banner of:
CONTINUITY!
And he could still win the election…Remember it is Nigeria after all!The WONDER country! All he needs is the backing of JAGABAN!!
Continuity – because failure is a popular word in his diary. Crazy organisation….