Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum expressed his disappointment after Nigeria’s narrow defeat to Canada in a behind-closed-doors friendly in Malaga, Spain on Wednesday night, Soccernet.ng reports..
Waldrum attributed the defeat to a single error by his team.
Despite the defeat, Waldrum noted that Nigeria performed better than in their previous meeting with Canada during last year’s World Cup, which ended in a goalless draw.
Canada won the match 1-0 with a goal from Jordyn Huitema in the 18th minute, after a mistake by Nigerian midfielder Deborah Abiodun. It was the Super Falcons’ first loss in 15 matches, since a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in February 2023.
Although Nigeria lost, they managed to win the post-match penalty shoot-out 5-4, a decision agreed in advance by the game’s organisers.
Waldrum, who led the team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, expressed confidence in the team’s current form.
“Obviously you would like to win with results at the end of the day, but I think our performance was very positive. We were very good in the attacking phase, our possession was good,” the American coach said, according to Afrik Foot.
“I think it was a much better performance than we had in the World Cup against them (Canada). We created more chances against them than we did in the World Cup. I have seen a big improvement from the World Cup until now.
“Although I am disappointed with the only mistake, we lost the ball in a bad place, I think we were good today.
“A lot of questions I had were answered today, including the ones about penalties. I feel confident ahead of the Paris Olympics.”
The Nigerian Super Falcons face a formidable challenge in Group C, where they will compete against Brazil, Spain and Japan.
This post was last modified on July 18, 2024 at 4:33 p.m.
