Super Falcons |
Football
African
champions Nigeria showed they are no pushovers despite losing by two goals to
four –time world champions and four –time Olympic champions USA in the last
game of the 2021 Summer Series at the admirable Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas,
USA on Wednesday.
Time difference
meant the game started 2am Thursday in Nigeria.
The Super
Falcons lost their opening game of the Series to the Jamaicans by a lone goal
on 10th June and had to come from behind to muscle a 3-3 draw against Portugal
in the second match three days later.
Both
games took place in Houston, also in the State of Texas.
The
Falcons were up against a US Women National Team that had not lost in dozens of
matches and could not readily remember the last time they conceded a goal.
Nigeria’s
Head Coach, Randy Waldrum, made only one change from the pulsating draw with
Portugal on Sunday, with Esther Okoronkwo taking the place of new discovery
Ifeoma Onomonwu.
Christian
Press scored the Americans’ first goal in time added-on in first half with an
assist from Carli Loyd. The goal came after several brilliant saves by Super
Falcons’ number one Tochukwu Oluehi, who was kept very busy in the opening
half.
In the
second half, Waldrum introduced Akudo Ogbonna, Charity Adule and Gift Monday at
different times to rejuvenate the play of the nine-time African champions, but
this effort did not curtail the high-octane stance of the American girls.
Heavy
pressure eventually told as Lynn Williams got the second goal, with an assist
from Press.
"I
am enamoured by the professionalism of the players and their courage even when
they are on the backfoot. They played verycompetitively against the best team
in the world and I am extremely proud of them," Coach Waldrum said at the
end.
It was
the first –ever international friendly between both countries. The USA had only
ever played one African country, South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, at friendlies’
level.
Waldrum,
who led the Super Falcons to three wins out of three in his first tournament in
charge with the team, in Turkey in February, believes the Summer Series have
been useful in the discovery of new legs in the absence of a number of tested
internationals, and exposure to top quality opposition that the team could
confront in major championships.
“The
Summer Series have come at a good time for us, as we were able to see a number
of new players. The girls also came up against strong teams and did not fare
badly. Lessons have been learnt and I am delighted with our performance and
general attitude on and off the pitch.”
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