The Minister of Sport in Nigeria, John Enoh, expressed optimism that the Falcons will overcome the tough group and qualify for the next tournament round.
The minister, who was impressed with the girls’ display against Brazil, noted that the team has the quality to beat Spain to qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition. “The next match against Spain, the World Cup champion will be daunting but not insurmountable,”
He went further to explain that “It wasn’t a bad game (vs Brazil). We could have been a goal or two up before Brazil scored their goal. Our hopes for this team is high. I leave here with strong hope that the Super Falcons can still qualify,”.
Also speaking after the game, Brazilian Gabi Nunes, who scored the only goal, explained that the Super Falcons were a difficult team to face because of their high experience and tactical flexibility.
“I am very, very happy with our performance. It was a difficult game, but we have an incredible team. We worked hard in training to make sure we performed on the pitch. We listened to Arthur and his game plan, and although we know we still have to improve, we are happy with how the first game went.” she said.
“I’m trying to hold back the tears. Because I’m a miracle, anyone who knows about my injuries knows how much I wanted to be here and live this moment. My friends and family are well aware of the sacrifices I’ve made. I’m very happy, I want to thank God and my team-mates who are wonderful,” she explained further.
The game was played on Thursday night at the Matmut Atlantique Stadium, Bordeaux. The Brazilian attacker praised the team’s commitment after whisking the ball into the net seven minutes before the break after a great assist by the experienced midfielder Marta.
The Brazilian team will face Japan on sound in the tournament’s second leg.
The Super Falcon will now face current champion Spain in the tournament’s second leg, a game that has been described as a must-win for the West African dons if they are to have a chance to advance to the second round of the competition.
The Super Falcons Coach who spoke at the game explained that the performance was good but not rewarding. In the end, he explained that the team’s performance in the game was better than the World Cup performance against the South American side, Canada.
“Obviously, you would like to win with results at the end of the day, but I think our performance was very positive. We were very good in the attacking phase, our possession was good, “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 no”
Expressing his disappointment, he said ” 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.”
