The President of Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL), Aisha Falode, has stated the Super Falcons of Nigeria must be positive, as they tackle hosts, France in tomorrow’s make or mar Group A fixture at the eighth FIFA Women’s World Cup.
According to her, “I must commend the Super Falcons for their approach and game-plan against the Koreans in Grenoble on Wednesday. They showed the stuff of champions with their determination and doggedness.
“However, against France on Monday in Rennes, we will need to be much more proactive and try to dictate the pace of the game. We must study them for the first five minutes or thereabout and then set out our tactics on how to contain them and also launch our own onslaughts in search of goals. It will be an interesting match but a good result is possible for Nigeria.”
Falode a member of the NFF Executive Committee, who has been with the Falcons in France since the start of the World Cup, told thenff.com from Rennes, yesterday, that Falcons have a big chance of reaching the knockout rounds of the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in 20 years if they hold their ground against the Les Bleues at the 28,000 –capacity Roazhon Park.
The Falcons put up a credible effort at the sixth edition of the Women’s World Cup in Germany in 2011, but after one-goal defeat by host nation Germany and France, their one-goal defeat of Canada proved inadequate to steer them to the second round.
A win or draw against the Les Bleues in tomorrow’s match (at 8pm Nigeria time), will automatically qualify Nigeria to the Round of 16, though a narrow loss might also see them sneak in depending on results in other groups, as well as the result between Group A mates Norway and Korea Republic, which starts at the same time in Reims.
Norway have three points from their defeat of Nigeria but lost to France. Korea Republic could also go to three points if they beat Norway tomorrow, but their goals deficit of minus six (lost 0-4 to France and 0-2 to Nigeria) is heavy. Nigeria has only a minus one goal deficit.
[The Guardian]
