Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum remains confident that his team can face any team in the world regardless of their rankings as they take on Japan on Wednesday (today), in their final Group C game of the women’s football event of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Nigeria have lost their first two games at the tournament to Brazil and Spain (1-0 each) but there are still hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the competition.
However, their destiny is not totally in their hands as they need to beat Japan while also hoping Spain will beat Brazil – that could see them finish second in the group or even qualify as one of the two best losers into the next round.
After their defeat against Spain on Sunday, Waldrum, who led a zesty Super Falcons team to Paris has refused to undermine his team’s prowess.
“We lost to two of the best teams in the world. Spain is the top team in the world and Brazil are in the top 10,” the American coach said via ESPN.
“We have shown that we could have got something out of those matches. It shows we can play against anybody in the world.”
Though the Falcon’s last appearance at the Olympics before now was in Beijing in 2008, they can bank on the history of reaching the quarter-finals of the Olympics tournament in 2000 when they also beat Japan in the process.
They notched Africa’s first win at the tournament with a victory over Japan and qualified for the knockout stage for the first, and so far the only time.
Waldrum, is the second coach, after the late Ismaila Mabo, to lead the Super Falcons to both the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
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