The Super Falcons of Nigeria beat Australia in historic fashion but that win against the co-hosts only papers over the cracks.
Several hours have passed since Nigeria shocked the world by coming from behind to beat Australia 3-2 and the euphoria still has not died down.
The win against the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosts was a truly fine moment and solidifies the Super Falcons’ chances of qualifying out of Group B.
The heroines who pulled this off and their millions of well-wishers around the world deserve to revel in the moment but they must do so with caution for a number of reasons.
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Nigeria played well, really well in fact but there is at least one reason why the result was such a surprise, and also why they were such massive underdogs pre-game against Australia.
And one win, however impressive, does not change all of that, the mountain of problems surrounding the team pre-tournament still exists and would most likely hinder their progression at the Mundial.
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15:00 - 27.07.2023
Australia vs Nigeria player ratings: Oshoala sets World Cup record as Super Falcons secure first win
The Super Falcons secured their first victory in the Women’s World Cup against Australia as they edge closer to qualifying for the round of 16.
The Super Falcons still have a tactical problem
Nigeria finished both games at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup so far with 32% and 36% possession respectively.
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15:59 - 27.07.2023
FIFAWWC: 3 numbers behind Nigeria Super Falcons' stunning win vs Australia
A look at the numbers behind Nigeria Super Falcons' shocking comeback victory against co-hosts Australia at the FIFAWWC.
And although possession stats do not tell the full story, it does well enough to paint the picture of the Super Falcons’ approach so far.
Waldrum’s side pretty much sat back and hoped to hit both of their oppositions on the counter, a tactic that worked much better against Australia than it did against Canada.
This is not a criticism of the approach, it was what the team needed to secure positive results from games where they ideally should have gotten nothing.
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The point is, the counter-attacking approach might not work against every team and the Super Falcons have not necessarily been great at controlling games.
The next game against the Republic of Ireland will test Nigeria’s ability to create chances without counter-attacks as the Irish have also adopted similar tactics in both of their games so far.
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10:00 - 28.07.2023
Super Falcons: Time and Where to Watch Nigeria vs Ireland World Cup Group final game
Wake Up early! Time and Where to Watch Super Falcons of Nigeria vs Ireland World Cup Group final game
So how will the Falcons play when they carry the full burden of creativity against another defensive-minded team? That is a question for Waldrum to answer.
Randy Waldrum’s Super Falcons wahala
Speaking of Waldrum, the American manager was mired in controversy just before the Mundial for his comments about the Nigeria Football Federation and their peculiar ways of football administration.
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21:42 - 29.06.2023
We're not prepared — Trouble in Super Falcons camp as Waldrum and NFF trade words
Super Falcons are bound for the 2023 FIFA World Cup but there is fire on the mountain in the team's camp following a war of words between coach Randy Waldrum and his employers, the NFF.
What followed was a nasty back-and-forth with Ademola Olajire, the NFF spokesperson who ironically spoke with reckless abandon on the matter.
That matter which brought disrepute and unwanted international attention to the senior women’s national team is still not done.
The great result against Australia might have been enough to shut up dissenting voices on social media but the circumstances that led to the brouhaha have not automatically disappeared.
There was still a standoff between the players and the federation as recently as two days prior to the kickoff of the World Cup over financial issues of course.
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11:40 - 04.04.2023
Report: NFF owes Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum ₦64.4m
The American tactician has been Nigeria’s coach since October 2022 but has not been paid for over a year.
To simply ignore that situation as Nigerians because of one win and hope that it fixes itself is equivalent to going to bed with the roof on fire.
The Super Falcons are a collection of disgruntled players led by an unhappy head coach all of whom are self-motivating based on passion for the country and desire to achieve greatness at the highest level and nothing else.
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Questions surrounding Randy Waldrum
The tournament in Australia and New Zealand was preceded by widespread criticism from Nigerian football stakeholders including fans and most especially the media, criticism that was well earned in all honestly.
The general consensus was that the team was underperforming under the American’s tutelage with the poor outing at the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco regarded as the final nail in his managerial coffin.
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So it is not illogical to say that a win and a draw, however impressive, is not enough to completely whitewash Waldrum’s reputation in such a short period of time.
Human beings are fickle, football fans even more so which is why people have gone from asking for Waldrum to be sacked before the World Cup to now dubbing him the Messiah just two games in.
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21:00 - 28.07.2023
‘There’s still work to do’ - Waldrum charges Falcons to keep going
After a sensational win over Australia, Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum believes that there is still more for the team to do
Of course, it is only fair that the results improve Waldrum’s reputation but it should not be enough to completely rebrand him so quickly.
Notwithstanding, Randy Waldrum and the Super Falcons have surpassed everyone’s expectations so far which is great, just do not forget why the expectations were so low in the first place.
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