Izuchukwu Okosi
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have booked their place in the women’s football event of the 2024 Olympics in Paris following the 0-0 draw against South Africa in Pretoria.
By getting one past the Bayana Bayana once again, the team coached by Randy Waldrum will play in Group C of the tournament where they will face Brazil, Spain and Japan.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPrime Business Africa attempts to answer questions on what coach Randy Waldrum did right in the game.
1. Solid defence
From the blast of the whistle, the Super Falcons attacked their hosts but afterwards that was not the blueprint for the rest of the game as the team went defensive.
The Bayana Bayana controlled the tempo of the game for large spells but were wasteful when they got clear sight of the Nigerian goal.
The head coach Waldrum expressed satisfaction after the game with the defensive solidity of his team and harped on the need to improve on that at the Games.
2. Attacking Concession
The head coach Randy Waldrum opted not to start star player Asisat Oshoala yet again in Pretoria after coming of the bench in the first leg at home.
Everyone with Nigerian affiliation expected the Bay FC star to make the stating lineup but the American coach, Waldrum decided to keep the Bayana Bayana team in suspense
3. Supporters were 12th player
Nigerians in South Africa were in their numbers at the game on Tuesday night and their presence made the Nigerian side play with some vigour and were not overly intimidated by the South Africans.
A pocket of fans made their way into the hotel base of the Super Falcons prior to the game where they sang and played musical instruments to lift the spirit of the players.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
