After qualifying for their third knockout round in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup some former players of the Super Falcons have revealed what the team must do to dislodge favourites, England on Monday in Brisbane
Former national women’s national team coach, Eucharia Uche, has urged the current handlers of the Super Falcons to get services of a psychologist ahead of Monday’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup crunch Round of 16 contest against the Lionesses of England in Brisbane, Australia.
Former African champions, Super Falcons drew goalless with the Republic of Ireland on Monday to qualify for the Round of 16 as second best team in Group B with five points behind Co-host, Australia who led the group with six points.
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Uche who had led Nigeria to win the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 2010 and to the 2011 Women’s World Cup, said that the Super Falcons must win the psychological battle first before the decisive encounter next Monday, adding the technical crew has a major role to play to put the ladies in good frame of mind against the European champions.
“This is a very tough game that the Super Falcons can win with the right attitude and composure,” Uche, who is now a FIFA and CAF Instructor on women’s football, told NationSport. “The technical crew cannot afford to joke with the fixture knowing that they are up against a very strong side.
“The players need the services of a psychologist who will help to be calm and to concentrate on the task at hand. The coaches have a major role to play. They must assure them It can be done with the right attitude and collective efforts.
The gulf between African countries and other continents including Europe and Americas is becoming close up. What South Africa, Morocco, Zambia and Nigeria have shown indicate that women’s football in Africa has come of age.”
Uche further hinted that the Super Falcons can afford to enjoy themselves knowing that they are not the favourites to progress and that this could help swing the game in that favour.
“It is a game where England are the overwhelming favourites to qualify. What the Super Falcons can do is to try and play without fear. They should just enjoy themselves and concentrate on their game. You never can know,” she noted.
Another former Nigeria international and River Angels coach, Rita Nwadike enjoined the Super Falcons to take the game easy and strive to gain the control of the game from the blast of the referee’s whistle.
She said Falcons cannot afford to start the game poorly just like they did against Canada but got away with it, adding that it is crucial for the Randy Waldrum-led technical crew to let the players realize the importance of the game and what must be done.
“This is a very important game to the players and the coaches. They must take the game very seriously and approach it without fear. They must ensure they take charge of proceedings from the very start,” Nwadike who incidentally scored Super Falcons’ first ever goal at the World Cup, added. “We can’t afford to start the game at a snail pace like we did against Canada.
“We are yet to be beaten a t this World Cup and should play without fear; we need to ensure notable players in the England squad including Lauren James are silenced.
For Stella Mbachu, the Super Falcons’ technical crew should do a proper analysis of the England squad and ensure the right strategy is adopted.
Mbachu, a veteran of four World Cup outings and some African Women’s Championship titles with the Super Falcons, is delighted that their African nations including Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco have progressed to the Round of 16 for the first time since the start of the competition in 1991 in China.
“The technical crew must do their job well,” Mbachu, who played 88 games and 20 goals for the Super Falcons between 1999 and 2011, said. “They can’t afford to make mistakes with the team selection and also the right strategy to adopt. They need to study England more to know how they can stop them,”
“I am just delighted to see more African teams qualifying for the knockout stage. Before 2019 it is just normal for African teams to exit the World Cup at the group stages.
“Nigeria and Cameroon proved that wrong in 2019 and Nigeria again along with South Africa (including Morocco) have changed the narratives.”
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will face England on Monday by 8:30am with the nine times African champions needing to do more than the ordinary to progress to the quarter final for the first time since 1999 in the United States.
In a related development, Africa’s run at the Women’s World Cup has been nothing short of extraordinary at the end of the group phase yesterday as debutants Morocco joined Nigeria and South Africa in the last 16.
Morocco had been thrashed 6-0 by two-time champions Germany in their opening match but they bounced back to beat South Korea and Colombia to secure their passage into the knockout stage of the tournament.
Their surprise run of results led to the group stage elimination of the highly fancied Germans in one of the biggest shocks of the tournament.
The upset came some 24 hours after South Africa had snatched a dramatic stoppage time winner to oust Italy, and also after Nigeria had advanced from Group B following two draws and a win over co-hosts Australia.
Even Zambia, who had been eliminated after two successive five-goal thrashings, were able to depart with a win, overcoming Costa Rica in their last group game.
Africa’s chances of getting a team through to the knockout phase were always going to be better with the expansion of the finals’ field to 32 teams and the continent’s representation increased to four.
But even then, there was little expectation for the quartet of African teams as they travelled to Australia and New Zealand.
Nigeria have not missed out of any of the nine Women’s World Cups but their dominance in Africa had been ended as they struggled at last year’s Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and only finished fourth.
South Africa won the continental title but their preparations were dogged by arguments over money as the players went on strike last month.
As for Morocco, the first Arab nation to compete, they looked out of the depth as they produced a horror defensive display and looked every bit the 70 places they were ranked below Germany in a rude World Cup welcome.
But they showed inspiring resolve to come back and win a top two place in Group H, albeit with some assistance as Germany failed to beat South Korea yesterday.
Morocco shook up the traditional order when finishing fourth in Qatar last December in Africa’s best showing at the men’s World Cup and the women now have a chance to also break new ground.
No African team has ever won a knockout game at a previous Women’s World Cup but there will be high hopes now that the continent’s mazy run can continue, even if the odds are stacked against them.
In the last 16, South Africa face the Netherlands, Morocco will be up against France while Nigeria will take on Euro 2022 champions England.
“They’ve shown that nothing can stop them if they put their mind to it and they play for each other,” South Africa coach Desire Ellis said of her players ahead of Sunday’s tie in Sydney against the in-form Netherlands.