Nigeris vs Canada: Super Falcons suffer defeat in Olympics preparatory friendly

The Super Falcons had a hiccup in their preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to North American side Canada.  

The Falcons qualified for their first Olympic games since 2008 in Beijing. Off the back of their impressive World Cup showing in Australia/New Zealand, Coach Randy Waldrum’s team have shown they are capable of competing against the best.

The Falcons have been training at the Hotel Barcelo Montecastillo Golf and Resort in Seville, Spain, as they prepare for the friendly against Canada. 

The players arrived at La Quinta Football Centre, Malaga in high spirits as they prepared to face the Canadians. 

Coach Randy Waldrum named a formidable IX, which unsurprisingly saw Bay FC star Asisat Oshoala dropped. An offensive duo of Rasheedat Ajibade and Chinwendu Ihezuo was preferred and in midfield, Waldrum, as he suggested in a pre-match interview, slotted Jennifer Echegini, along with Deborah Abiodun, Christy Ucheibe, and Toni Payne.

Chiamaka Nnadozie started in goal and was shielded by a defence consisting of Michelle Alozie, Chidinma Okeke, Oluwatosin Demehin, and Osinachi Ohale.

The match had a peppy start, with both teams going at it early on. However, it was Canada that got the 18th-minute opener. The Super Falcons pushed for an equaliser throughout the game, with Echegini dancing through the Canadian defence before whisking her shot wide. 

Canada held on for the victory, as they will now head into the Olympics in high spirits with the hope of defending the title they won in 2021. 

The Super Falcons, on the other hand, saw their 15-game run, which stretched back to 2023, end, despite putting up a commendable showing. As Pulse Sports reported, they will kick off their Olympic campaign against Brazil on July 25th. The remaining group-stage games against Spain and Japan will come on the 28th and 31st, respectively.