The Super Falcons of Nigeria have arrived in Morocco to continue with preparations for the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) which his scheduled to run from 2-23 July.
The West Africans are in the hunt for their 10th continental title – having won three in a row (2014, 2016, 2018).
They have been dominant in this tournament since they first lifted the title in 1991.
The Super Falcons have not had ideal preparations leading to the North African football showpiece, managing to arrange two club matches in Nigeria against Naija Ratels and Bayelsa Queens – winning 2-1 in the first and drawing the second 1-1.
Last year they travelled to the USA for the Summer Series and won the Turkish Women’s Cup Invitational tournament. They also took part in the inaugural Aisha Buhari Cup in Nigeria which featured South Africa and Ghana.
Those preparations have left head coach Randy Waldrum confident of the road ahead.
“I think the one difficulty that we’ve had a little bit in those different matches is I never felt we had our entire best team there together, so I am a little concerned that we haven’t had the best team together at one time over the year,” said Waldrum speaking to the Nigerian Federation media department.
“But it did give me an opportunity to look at a lot of young players and some new faces to bring into the team because obviously that’s going to be necessary moving forward. As this team progresses, we need some new young upcoming players, so that part has been good. In this current camp we’ve had most of the top players and we’ve got ample time to get ready for the first game, so overall I’m pleased with the past year and the preparation that we’ve had.”
Nigeria has been drawn in Group C in the WAFCON.
They begin the defence of their title against Banyana Banyana on July 4 at the Prince Heritier Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, followed by the fixtures against debutants Botswana and Burundi on July 7 and 10 respectively.
The clash against South African is the repeat of the 2018 WAFCON tournament in Ghana when South Africa stunned the Super Falcons 1-0 but the latter went on to win the final after defeating Desiree Ellis’ charges on penalties.
The two arch-rivals would meet again in the 2021 Aisha Buhari Women’s Invitational tournament at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Onikan, Nigeria.
Banyana Banyana had the last laugh following a 4-2 victory.
The South Africans have been runners up in the WAFCON on four occasions (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018).
Waldrum says based on the history of the two nations, the first game becomes very important.
“We have to remember the last African Cup of Nations, Nigeria lost to South Africa in the first game, and then came back and won in the final. So I think yes that game (our opening match in Morocco) is very important and those three points would be massive, but we also have to understand that regardless of the result we’re still in the tournament to advance and even if we win the game there’s a very good likelihood you could play them again in the final, so we put weight on the South Africa game obviously,” added the Super Falcons coach.
“But we have to understand the way that tournament works, and we can’t just lose our way if that game doesn’t go well. Having said that at the Aisha Buhari we did not have our best team especially in midfield – we didn’t have our top midfield players and that’s such a key against a team that can keep the ball like South Africa. I also think we learned from that that you’re not going to win every game. So, we will be much more prepared for them this time and we’re looking forward to it. I think they are a quality team, and we respect that, but we still feel like that we’re the best team in Africa.”
The top four finishers in Morocco will automatically book their place at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup which will be held in Australia and New Zealand.
While winning the WAFCON remains the objective for the Super Falcons, the bigger picture is being part of the women’s world football showpiece where the best of the best will be.
“Well probably the two biggest things that come to mind is thinking ahead of the importance to qualify – the World Cup qualification has always been the goal, as much as we want to win the WAFCON championship, the most important thing right now is qualifying,” said Waldrum.
The coach has selected a squad of 25 players for the tournament, including razor-sharp striker Asisat Oshoala.
Only two players – Akudo Ogbonna (Edo Queens) and Gift Monday (Bayelsa Queens) – ply their trade in Nigeria with the rest based overseas.
“Well, we feel like we’ve selected the best that we have to choose from. The good thing is we have a good staff that has been working diligently to make sure that we get the best selected players for this event. Over this last year we’ve found some new blood with players like Ifeoma Onumonu. Young players like Vivian Ikechukwu that we brought into the team is playing extremely well, so we feel like we’ve got a lot of good options,” concluded the Nigerian women’s national team mentor.
“Having Asisat Oshoala back and healthy has been a big plus, so I think we’ve got a really good attacking qualities within our team, and I would say overall I’m really happy with that.”
By Matlhomola Morake
