Nigeria’s Super Falcons rounded off their preparations for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France with a 3-0 thumping of Slovenian champions Pomurje in a friendly encounter in Beltinci, Slovenia on Sunday, reports Completesports.com.
Barcelona Ladies’ forward Asisat Oshoala grabbed a brace in the encounter with substitute Uchenna Kanu netting the other goal.
Head coach of the side, Thomas Dennerby started the game with a strong line-up with the likes of Oshoala, Francisca Ordega, Rita Chikwelu, Halimatu Ayinde, Desire Oparanozie and Onome Ebi among the starters.
Young goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie who impressed in the WAFU Women’s Cup in Cote d’Ivoire last month was also handed a starting shirt ahead of regular first choice Tochukwu Oluehi.
Oshoala opened scoring for the African champions in the 18th minute of the keenly contested encounter.
The Barcelona girl added the second eight minutes later as the Super Falcons further made their dominance count in the game.
The Super Falcons pressed for more goals after the break, but the Slovenians were resolute at the back
Dennerby rang changes in the 59th minute with the trio of Chinwendu Ihezuo, Uchenna Kanu and Chinaza Uchendu replacing Desire Oparanozie, Osinachi Ohale and Halimatu Ayinde.
Six minutes later, the Swede brought in Anam Imo, Evelyn Nwabuoku, Rasheedat Ajibade and Amarachi Okoronkwo for Onome Ebi, Rita Chikwelu, Ngozi Okobi and Asisat Oshoala.
Kanu got on the scoresheet right at the death to extend the Super Falcons’ lead.
The West Africans are now expected to shift attention to their opening World Cup game against Norway on Saturday June 8 at the Stade Auguite Delaune, Reims.
By Adeboye Amosu
20 Comments
Well done Super Falcons. I’m Super excited about coach Dennerby’s team.
The coach is stylishly rebuilding this team and replacing experienced players with the young ones. This is a good result. This is a great sign for Nigerians. Keep it up coach.
However, Coach Dennerby also making his substitutions at the right time.
With God and luck, this team will rule the world. I’m having a feeling that our tamale’s team is going to world cup to do something spectacular.
Coach Dennerby have learned his lessons and kept improving since France match.
A big lesson for coach Rohr here. Nobody is perfect no doubt but he should look back and fixed his mistakes. Rather, he continues with the same mistakes.
For instance, coach Dennerby systematically changed the first choice goalkeeper of the team.
Alaba Jonathan used to be the first choice of the team, this girl has experience, boldness and everything it takes to be the team first choice in France still, coach Dennerby have not been satisfied yet. The coach went straight ahead to changed his goalkeeper.
Alaba was in goal against Nigeria vs Cameroon in Cameroon which Nigeria eventually won with a Nigerian coach.
For coach Rohr, he continues with the likes of Uzoho, Ezenwa and Akpeyi wich the result would be out soon.
All in all, I will like to say thank you so much coach Dennerby for a great job.
I’m not wishing coach Rohr a bad luck in Egypt but let’s call a spade a spade, I’m not satisfied with his decision and his tactics with the Super Eagles team. But what do I know? God bless Nigeria!!!
Nice point noted there.
Wish our ladies best outing ever…
Thank you bro. God bless Nigeria!!!
Good point omo9ja..I really like ur analyses in this forum.God bless u and i wish our super falcons goodluck in France.
Amen. God bless you more bro. God bless Nigeria!!!
You will say so much and end with ‘What do I know?’ quite hypocritical. You will make negative remarks yet end with ‘God bless naija’ who is fooling who? Honestly, you are just a joke
Hmmm, this is quite interesting. Are you expecting me to say God will not bless Nigeria? Oh bro, it is impossible to say that because I love my Country no matter what. Mba, I can’t say that.
If that is disturbing you, I am not sorry to say this o, I can’t change that.
What do I know? Means I don’t know It all and there’s room for correction.
Everything is all about negative remarks in front of those who hates to hear the truth.
Chai, what can I do to satisfy Nigerians?
This is the only thing that we love most after God in this Country and we can’t joke about it.
Omo9ja is this, omo9ja is that, what is happening here Nigerians?
You even called a joke? Really? You called me a joke but you can’t tell Oga Rohr the truth? You can see that you are a real joker here lol.
You people do not see that our image is at stakes in this year Afcon? Come on Nigerians. It is time to wake up. It might be too late if you don’t speak now. God bless Nigeria!!!
Well done girls, I strongly believe this set of Super falcons will break our past record and shock some big teams. I’m happy Asisat is back to top form for both club and country.
Then l’m also happy Uchenna Kanu is also in the final list. This is the next big name in the Super Falcons. A proven goal machine. Playing with SouthEastern fire in the United states. Scoring 115 goals, 33 assist in 55 games in 2 and 1/2 season.
She was also the highest goal scorer in the just concluded Wafo tournament with 10 goals in 5 games. Not forgetting her 3 goals in u-17 world cup of 2014. No wonder coach Denneby had to drop Ini Umutong for her.
An attacking force of Oshoala, Orderga, Oparanozie and Uchenna Kanu will be difficult to handle. It will be a joy to watch.
Ride on girls, we are expecting a beautiful outing.
Easy on my girl Ikeben. Whether in England or China, she has been CONSISTENTLY terrific-even when she isn’t scoring.Now she’s in a better league and club than d English and a sound coach for the Falcons.
I said watch out for a certain Asisat, such a unique talent. Go go ladies, you shud do us proud.
Cute point there Omo9ja.
That Kanu again, on the score sheet, she almost got one in the previous match. Suddenly we seem to now have a proper deputy to Oparanozie.
Now tell me why Oparanozie won’t want to do more? Kanu can even take her place, if she isn’t so effective. This is the kind of competition that shud exist in any final team from a prodigiously talented country like Nigeria.
I hope the “boys” team are watching.
Thanks oge. I don’t think they are. The reactions of our boys will changed if the manager is ready. I’m not really paying much attention to this year Afcon because I have no hope and confidence in coach Rohr’s administration.
There’s a question we should be asking ourselves now. Are we going to Egypt to make a numbers or we are going there to do much better or even win it?
We are feeling the moods of Super Falcons and we can say yes, they are getting ready for world cup through their improvements but are we seeing such in Super Eagles team?
Super Eagles are full of young stars players with experience and exposure no doubt but are they in the right direction? May yes or no, I don’t know. Fingers crossed. God bless Nigeria!!!
My Concern:
While our group opponents are playing international friendlies with fellow world cup participants, we are playing against names clubsides from nameless leagues and our coach is busy bragging that we will be difficult to beat…he’s not even bragging that we will qualify from our group, he’s telling us we will be difficult to beat, which means, we will get beaten up, but not easily. And some hate-filled fellows are here praising him to the high heavens. Norway just thrashed SA 7-2 yesterday, the same SA we couldn’t defeat in regulation time twice at AWCON. France has been winning all their friendlies with handsome scorelines since last year. Yet we are preparing with clubsides, while we are still struggling to beat teams above us on the FIFA rankings log.
Why are we playing preparatory matches with clubs from countries with no known reputation in world female football. I would have been glad if we were play friendlies with Chelsea ladies fc (England), Turbine Potsdam (Germany), Olympic Lyon (France) or other top club sides in countries with strong female football leagues like Sweden, Norway, Germany etc. But playing clubs from Slovenia, Iceland….??? Are you kidding me..? Are we preparing for the world cup where we are to face France, Norway and Korea or are we preparing for WAFU cup where we will face Benin, Togo and Niger……???. We could as well play rivers angels, sunshine queens or Nassarawa Amazons as part of our preparations for this world cup.
For all those who are busy hailing the coach (when he’s not really done anything substantial) in order to spite another coach… make una continue. Continue to pluck out your eyeballs in order to spite your nostrils. Shebi na this saturday we go play Norway…na sidon look we dey.
I have saved all your eulogies and glowing tributes of Thomas dennerby in a safe place…I will remind you of your own words when the time eventually comes.
Now this is one hell of a comment. Please lecture them
Shame on NFF, this is world cup and we’re preparing with a club side, not even a country that did not qualify for the world cup, it’s a shame
Fair deal Dr Drey, pls remind us of d Eulogies.
As for ur concerns,why all the heat sir? Have ur Falcons ever ever had it, anything close to this as per preparation? Their preparation, has it just been against club sides, like you said?
Does being difficult to beat mean, they MUST be beaten?
Needless to say, the answer to all above is a resounding NO! So I don’t see a proper basis for ur concerns.
Yes ONLY LATELY we played clubsides, from not the best female leagues– so how is that a heinous crime?How? We are alive to see the Falcons play friendlies against countries that will improve us(like we have NEVER seen before[and I stand 2 be corrected]) and you are fuming becos at d tail end of preparation we played a couple of European clubs, who you feel are not perfect tests.
Ah it means you were spitting out real cooking fire,in the many many years the Falcons were attending World-cups with little or no friendlies na.Can’t we celebrate and encourage change?
If Omo9ja is ur issue,pls don’t use dat to rub on d Falcons. The preparation has been terrific if put in proper context. We can improve on it,but the preparation has been way above average even WHEN COMPARED to the topsides in Europe.I say dis with no prejudice.
Also you need to appreciate more dat a country with innate footballing talents like Nigeria, makes the job of a good coach way easier. Many of these top nations in soccer you mentioned don’t even have the talent base we have, what they have really is proper planning and administration- something the Super Falcons have NOW employed in this very preparation.
Pls relax ur concerns jore and you still have d option to COOL OFF with the comment by DEO below.
We can look forward to a beautiful WCup,at least after d order of wat the coach said in Deo’s note.
Cheers
It’s all about movement, pace and options and Kanu appears to provide these.
Coach Rohr is building a team capable of standing its own against any opposition at the world cup.
Time and again, the Swede has made it quite clear that he is going to the World Cup to complete, not to participate.
He appears to now have a team that can deliver.
Speaking on Journalists recently, Dennerby said:“Our ambition is to get to the last 16 at least….I hope that we can do that and get through to the round of 16, then win one more game”
Such is the passion of the man and belief in what he is doing, what he expects and how far he wants his team can go.
For some reason, I expect a fluid, viabrant and positive style of play from the Super Falcons this summer. Its all about movement, being compact and playing as a unit as Dennerby further said: “African teams need to learn to move the ball around, defend and attack together as a unit”.
The results are there for all to see.
The Super Falcons are scoring more than they concede and are pushing quality teams like Belgium and Canada all the way.
The group we find ourselves remains tough: Only yesterday, Norway demolished South Africa 7:2 while France are clearly a tournament favorite with the South Koreans being a powerful force in their continent.
So, is our coach feeling the heat?
“No, I’m not under pressure as a coach because we are working well…. I know we have a team capable of doing well at the World Cup.” Dennerby said on BBC.com
Such an assured and confident coach!
His beliefs will surely work for him…. I am eager to see the Falcons display their might!
Our coach is trying, l believe Super falcons will Improve in World Cup.
Abia! world cup is a different ball game folks… when the world cup begins, that’s when we will commend or condemn you. the only player am haply for is uchenna KANU….wish the coach should play her ahead of oparonozie who is now a flop.
This omo9ja is one hell of a problem. Just tell us you hate coach Rohr because he did not invite your google players not that you are patriotic, but you know what? your ranting can not go beyond this forum because the man has been doing well judging by the records of the matches played. How does coach Denerby winning pre tournament games has to do with coach Rohr problem? Let’s wait and see how it goes after the 2 tournament but we fanatic fans are hopeful of good outing for both gaffer.