Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum remains optimistic despite his team's defeat to 2020 Olympics champions Canada in a closed-door test game on Wednesday night.
As the team prepares for the Olympics in Bordeaux, France, Waldrum believes the experience will be a valuable lesson.
Canada secured a 1-0 victory thanks to Jordyn Huitema's 8th-minute goal, following a mistake by Nigerian midfielder Deborah Abiodun.
In what was their first and only test match before their opening group game against Brazil, the Super Falcons managed to win the resultant penalty shootout 5-4—a prearranged decision agreed upon by the game organisers.
Randy Waldrum believes the Super Falcons will improve at 2024 Olympics
Waldrum, who previously led the team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, expressed confidence in the team's progress.
“Obviously, you would like to win with results at the end of the day but I think our performance was a very positive performance. We were very good in the attacking phase, our possession was good,” he said.
“I thought 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 at the World Cup. I have seen a lot of improvement since the World Cup until now.
“Even though I am disappointed with the one mistake, we turned the ball over in a bad place, I thought we were good today.
“A lot of questions I had were answered today, including the penalty kicks. I am confident as we head to Paris for the Olympics.”
Captain Ajibade pleased with performance despite defeat
Super Falcons' captain Rasheedat Ajibade shared her thoughts on the match against Canada, expressing satisfaction with the team's performance as they continue their Olympic preparations.
“It was not a bad test match, we lost 1-0 but it was not a bad one, we had good moments in the game but we did not utilise our chances,” the Atletico Madrid Femenino star said.
“Yeah, it was a good game to help us prepare ahead of the tournament, so now we know what we need to work on and move forward.
“Mistakes do happen and that was just it. In this high level of football, when you make mistakes like this against highly experienced players they will always capitalise on any mistake you make,” she stated.
“We have to be more clinical and disciplined and also make use of the opportunities we get, so yeah, one mistake and that’s it.
“It was a good test match and even though some of the players have not played a high-intensity game in maybe two to three weeks, I think we have gotten our rhythm now and we are building up ahead of the tournament (Olympics).”
Nigeria's Super Falcons face a formidable challenge in Group C, where they will compete against powerhouses Brazil, Spain, and Japan.
