Super Falcons campaign at the ongoing 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada came to an abrupt end early hours of yesterday as American golden girl Abby Wambach’s lone strike in the dying seconds of the first half ended the journey for the African champions in Vancouver.
The Nigerian ladies did well to hold their own against the two-time world champions in their last Group D match against USA but the Wambach inspired Yankee ladies deserved their victory and the ticket to the last 16.
The hard-fighting Nigerian girls set about making several efforts to equalise but could not convert their chances as the U.S. team shored up their defenceline.
After the match, Coach Edwin Okon said the game was a good one and wished his opponents well in their subsequent games.
"It was a great experience for us here in Canada. We weren’t focused enough in a few situations today. I wasn’t surprised to see USA make substitutions that were more defensive after our sending off as they knew they were playing a good team. You always have a 50-50 chance in every game. Today USA made the most of one of their chances and we didn’t, even though we had several.”
USA Coach, Jill Ellis, had kind words for the African champions: “Nigeria gave us a good fight, as expected. They’re a dangerous team. I’m happy with the way we played both with and without the ball. We can attack with confidence if we have a good backline. It’s a shame we only scored one goal but we’re very happy to finish top of a difficult group. Investments in women’s football are constantly increasing worldwide, so I think it’s right to talk of an evolution. In terms of tactics, this is the best tournament I’ve ever seen.”
Nigeria ended the preliminary campaign at the bottom on paltry one points from possible nine which ensured the side immediate elimination from the biennial global football showpiece. Having drawn Sweden 3-3 in their opener and lost 2-0 to Australia the defeat to USA ensured that the African champions were home-bound.
Falcons conquerors, the United States of America and runners-up, Australia claimed the group two automatic round of 16 tickets.
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