Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Enugu II
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Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by Enugu II »

Nigeria wins Bronze at WAFU Women’s Cup
http://www.brila.net/nigeria-wins-bronz ... omens-cup/
By Brila - February 24, 20180

Chinaza Uchendu scored a brace as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the WAFU Women’s Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Saturday.

Uchendu, who was also voted player of the match, struck in the 15th minute to cancel out Diarra Fatoumata’s 9th minute opener before she doubled in the 39th.

The victory sealed bronze for Nigeria at the maiden WAFU Women’s tournament and also marks the first honors for new Coach Thomas Dennerby.
The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by mystic »

Enugu II wrote:
Nigeria wins Bronze at WAFU Women’s Cup
http://www.brila.net/nigeria-wins-bronz ... omens-cup/
By Brila - February 24, 20180

Chinaza Uchendu scored a brace as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the WAFU Women’s Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Saturday.

Uchendu, who was also voted player of the match, struck in the 15th minute to cancel out Diarra Fatoumata’s 9th minute opener before she doubled in the 39th.

The victory sealed bronze for Nigeria at the maiden WAFU Women’s tournament and also marks the first honors for new Coach Thomas Dennerby.

Good tournament for them. A lot of up and coming players gained experience. Next up now is the tournament in Turkey. I anticipate that we'll see a stronger team for that one. Hopefully a handful of players that competed at WAFU have caught the coach's eye.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by Enugu II »

mystic wrote:
Enugu II wrote:
Nigeria wins Bronze at WAFU Women’s Cup
http://www.brila.net/nigeria-wins-bronz ... omens-cup/
By Brila - February 24, 20180

Chinaza Uchendu scored a brace as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the WAFU Women’s Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Saturday.

Uchendu, who was also voted player of the match, struck in the 15th minute to cancel out Diarra Fatoumata’s 9th minute opener before she doubled in the 39th.

The victory sealed bronze for Nigeria at the maiden WAFU Women’s tournament and also marks the first honors for new Coach Thomas Dennerby.

Good tournament for them. A lot of up and coming players gained experience. Next up now is the tournament in Turkey. I anticipate that we'll see a stronger team for that one. Hopefully a handful of players that competed at WAFU have caught the coach's eye.
Agreed. Of course, this a strictly home based squad but it also had only two players who were at the AWFCON last year -- Rita Akerakor and Chioma Wogu, I believe. Importantly, a lot of players from previous youth squads have been brought up.
The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Enugu II wrote:
mystic wrote:
Enugu II wrote:
Nigeria wins Bronze at WAFU Women’s Cup
http://www.brila.net/nigeria-wins-bronz ... omens-cup/
By Brila - February 24, 20180

Chinaza Uchendu scored a brace as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the WAFU Women’s Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Saturday.

Uchendu, who was also voted player of the match, struck in the 15th minute to cancel out Diarra Fatoumata’s 9th minute opener before she doubled in the 39th.

The victory sealed bronze for Nigeria at the maiden WAFU Women’s tournament and also marks the first honors for new Coach Thomas Dennerby.

Good tournament for them. A lot of up and coming players gained experience. Next up now is the tournament in Turkey. I anticipate that we'll see a stronger team for that one. Hopefully a handful of players that competed at WAFU have caught the coach's eye.
Agreed. Of course, this a strictly home based squad but it also had only two players who were at the AWFCON last year -- Rita Akerakor and Chioma Wogu, I believe. Importantly, a lot of players from previous youth squads have been brought up.
Rasheedat Ajibade.
Will be challenging Assisat Oshoala's throne very soon. :thumb:
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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The tournament you referring to is the Turkish Women's Cup 2018
Our girls are in group B with Khazakstan, Kosovo and France B (their A team is playing in the Algarve Cup in Portugal).
mystic wrote:
Enugu II wrote:
Nigeria wins Bronze at WAFU Women’s Cup
http://www.brila.net/nigeria-wins-bronz ... omens-cup/
By Brila - February 24, 20180

Chinaza Uchendu scored a brace as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the WAFU Women’s Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Saturday.

Uchendu, who was also voted player of the match, struck in the 15th minute to cancel out Diarra Fatoumata’s 9th minute opener before she doubled in the 39th.

The victory sealed bronze for Nigeria at the maiden WAFU Women’s tournament and also marks the first honors for new Coach Thomas Dennerby.

Good tournament for them. A lot of up and coming players gained experience. Next up now is the tournament in Turkey. I anticipate that we'll see a stronger team for that one. Hopefully a handful of players that competed at WAFU have caught the coach's eye.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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This WAFU Cup also had a few of the U20 girls that just qualified for the U20 WWC. The intent was to provide some big game experience for them.
Ajibade is good, but still has a lot to learn and is nowhere close to challenging Oshoala.
Next potential Super Falcon 'superstar' will be Toni Payne of Ajax Amsterdam - you heard it here first.
Damunk wrote:
Enugu II wrote: Agreed. Of course, this a strictly home based squad but it also had only two players who were at the AWFCON last year -- Rita Akerakor and Chioma Wogu, I believe. Importantly, a lot of players from previous youth squads have been brought up.
Rasheedat Ajibade.
Will be challenging Assisat Oshoala's throne very soon. :thumb:
Last edited by Otitokoro on Sun Feb 25, 2018 12:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by Chief Ogbunigwe »

Can we just give the trophy automatically to Ghana? They have focused on WAFU since failing to win the ANC for centuries, and not qualifying for Werld Kap.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Ghana is dominating WAFU lol.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Let the u17 ouster & the WAFU results serve as a warning, that, the era of beating Mali, Ghana & others mercilessly is over. Rather than live on past glory, we need to develop & improve our teams; men and women.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by Thunder »

Enugu II wrote:
mystic wrote:
Enugu II wrote:
Nigeria wins Bronze at WAFU Women’s Cup
http://www.brila.net/nigeria-wins-bronz ... omens-cup/
By Brila - February 24, 20180

Chinaza Uchendu scored a brace as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the WAFU Women’s Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Saturday.

Uchendu, who was also voted player of the match, struck in the 15th minute to cancel out Diarra Fatoumata’s 9th minute opener before she doubled in the 39th.

The victory sealed bronze for Nigeria at the maiden WAFU Women’s tournament and also marks the first honors for new Coach Thomas Dennerby.

Good tournament for them. A lot of up and coming players gained experience. Next up now is the tournament in Turkey. I anticipate that we'll see a stronger team for that one. Hopefully a handful of players that competed at WAFU have caught the coach's eye.
Agreed. Of course, this a strictly home based squad but it also had only two players who were at the AWFCON last year -- Rita Akerakor and Chioma Wogu, I believe. Importantly, a lot of players from previous youth squads have been brought up.
EII, suffice to say other participants fielded HB players? If true, & considering our status in the game, the result is not good enough.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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First FiFA organized senior coed Tournament; Who would consist Nigeria National Team. I doubt Mikel would even want to captain the Team
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Your concerns are valid, but the U17 ouster was due to an incompetent coach (previously stated here by some of us and also reiterated by an Ex-Super Falcon's coach), while the WAFU result was primarily because the bulk of the girls on the WAFU squad were U20 players who were being given big game experience.
That they lost out to the main Ghanaian team on penalties is not as bad as it appears.
That said, it is expected that Nations will try and close the gap. However, I don't believe the gap is that close.
Thunder wrote:Let the u17 ouster & the WAFU results serve as a warning, that, the era of beating Mali, Ghana & others mercilessly is over. Rather than live on past glory, we need to develop & improve our teams; men and women.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Of course, not yet.
But give her a few short years. It's just great that we have emerging talent coming thru.
Just yesterday Oshoala herself was a junior admiring Oparanozie in the senior ranks. Same story with Francisca Ordega.

Has Toni Payne come thru the youth ranks or is she a diasporan?
Otitokoro wrote:This WAFU Cup also had a few of the U20 girls that just qualified for the U20 WWC. The intent was to provide some big game experience for them.
Ajibade is good, but still has a lot to learn and is nowhere close to challenging Oshoala.
Next potential Super Falcon 'superstar' will be Toni Payne of Ajax Amsterdam - you heard it here first.
Damunk wrote:
Enugu II wrote: Agreed. Of course, this a strictly home based squad but it also had only two players who were at the AWFCON last year -- Rita Akerakor and Chioma Wogu, I believe. Importantly, a lot of players from previous youth squads have been brought up.
Rasheedat Ajibade.
Will be challenging Assisat Oshoala's throne very soon. :thumb:
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Otitokoro wrote:Your concerns are valid, but the U17 ouster was due to an incompetent coach (previously stated here by some of us and also reiterated by an Ex-Super Falcon's coach), while the WAFU result was primarily because the bulk of the girls on the WAFU squad were U20 players who were being given big game experience.
That they lost out to the main Ghanaian team on penalties is not as bad as it appears.
That said, it is expected that Nations will try and close the gap. However, I don't believe the gap is that close.
Thunder wrote:Let the u17 ouster & the WAFU results serve as a warning, that, the era of beating Mali, Ghana & others mercilessly is over. Rather than live on past glory, we need to develop & improve our teams; men and women.
Otitokoro

The U17 loss and the loss here are largely due to poor preparation. Let's not forget that. While the coach is not the best, I do not believe that it would be easy for any coach to rescue a team that was in that state. Thunder is correct to note Nigeria can no longer walk over African competition.
The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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A much more competent coach would have done better.
Nkiyu and Danjuma (U20) were appointed about the same time (both acted as interim coaches, pending their full appointment). The difference between both is clear and is reflected in their qualifying results. This is all on Nkiyu.
Enugu II wrote:
Otitokoro wrote:Your concerns are valid, but the U17 ouster was due to an incompetent coach (previously stated here by some of us and also reiterated by an Ex-Super Falcon's coach), while the WAFU result was primarily because the bulk of the girls on the WAFU squad were U20 players who were being given big game experience.
That they lost out to the main Ghanaian team on penalties is not as bad as it appears.
That said, it is expected that Nations will try and close the gap. However, I don't believe the gap is that close.
Thunder wrote:Let the u17 ouster & the WAFU results serve as a warning, that, the era of beating Mali, Ghana & others mercilessly is over. Rather than live on past glory, we need to develop & improve our teams; men and women.
Otitokoro

The U17 loss and the loss here are largely due to poor preparation. Let's not forget that. While the coach is not the best, I do not believe that it would be easy for any coach to rescue a team that was in that state. Thunder is correct to note Nigeria can no longer walk over African competition.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Diasporan.
Played for the US U17 and U23 Women's Soccer teams. Also played for Duke University in the NCAA Women's Championship final in 2015.
Selected #13 in the 2017 US Women's Soccer League by FC Kansas City, but chose to join Ajax Amsterdam instead.
Opted to play for Nigeria in 2017.
Damunk wrote:Of course, not yet.
But give her a few short years. It's just great that we have emerging talent coming thru.
Just yesterday Oshoala herself was a junior admiring Oparanozie in the senior ranks. Same story with Francisca Ordega.

Has Toni Payne come thru the youth ranks or is she a diasporan?
Otitokoro wrote:This WAFU Cup also had a few of the U20 girls that just qualified for the U20 WWC. The intent was to provide some big game experience for them.
Ajibade is good, but still has a lot to learn and is nowhere close to challenging Oshoala.
Next potential Super Falcon 'superstar' will be Toni Payne of Ajax Amsterdam - you heard it here first.
Damunk wrote:
Enugu II wrote: Agreed. Of course, this a strictly home based squad but it also had only two players who were at the AWFCON last year -- Rita Akerakor and Chioma Wogu, I believe. Importantly, a lot of players from previous youth squads have been brought up.
Rasheedat Ajibade.
Will be challenging Assisat Oshoala's throne very soon. :thumb:
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Osarenoma Igbinovia was also in the 2016 WAFCON winning squad.
Enugu II wrote:
mystic wrote:
Enugu II wrote:
Nigeria wins Bronze at WAFU Women’s Cup
http://www.brila.net/nigeria-wins-bronz ... omens-cup/
By Brila - February 24, 20180

Chinaza Uchendu scored a brace as Nigeria came from behind to defeat Mali 2-1 in the bronze medal match at the WAFU Women’s Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Saturday.

Uchendu, who was also voted player of the match, struck in the 15th minute to cancel out Diarra Fatoumata’s 9th minute opener before she doubled in the 39th.

The victory sealed bronze for Nigeria at the maiden WAFU Women’s tournament and also marks the first honors for new Coach Thomas Dennerby.

Good tournament for them. A lot of up and coming players gained experience. Next up now is the tournament in Turkey. I anticipate that we'll see a stronger team for that one. Hopefully a handful of players that competed at WAFU have caught the coach's eye.
Agreed. Of course, this a strictly home based squad but it also had only two players who were at the AWFCON last year -- Rita Akerakor and Chioma Wogu, I believe. Importantly, a lot of players from previous youth squads have been brought up.
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

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Otitokoro wrote:A much more competent coach would have done better.
Nkiyu and Danjuma (U20) were appointed about the same time (both acted as interim coaches, pending their full appointment). The difference between both is clear and is reflected in their qualifying results. This is all on Nkiyu.
Enugu II wrote:
Otitokoro wrote:Your concerns are valid, but the U17 ouster was due to an incompetent coach (previously stated here by some of us and also reiterated by an Ex-Super Falcon's coach), while the WAFU result was primarily because the bulk of the girls on the WAFU squad were U20 players who were being given big game experience.
That they lost out to the main Ghanaian team on penalties is not as bad as it appears.
That said, it is expected that Nations will try and close the gap. However, I don't believe the gap is that close.
Thunder wrote:Let the u17 ouster & the WAFU results serve as a warning, that, the era of beating Mali, Ghana & others mercilessly is over. Rather than live on past glory, we need to develop & improve our teams; men and women.
Otitokoro

The U17 loss and the loss here are largely due to poor preparation. Let's not forget that. While the coach is not the best, I do not believe that it would be easy for any coach to rescue a team that was in that state. Thunder is correct to note Nigeria can no longer walk over African competition.
No, they were not (and neither were either an interim coach)...

Again, I do not know Nkiyu from a can of beans but he was appointed merely about two weeks prior to the first qualifying game, which was an AWAY game, while Danjuma had relatively much more time (August 14 for the Sept 16 HOME qualifier against Tanzania). During those two weeks, Nkiyu ostensibly would have had to scout, invite, and screen players, select a squad and finalize tactics.

Nonetheless, regardless of whether Nkiyu is a poor coach (and he may well be) or perhaps Danjuma was just an extraordinarily good coach, it is DISGUSTING when the Nigerian chattering class keeps perpetuating and propagating official and administrative irresponsibility by babbling on about how so-and-so achieved something under supposedly equal parlous conditions. It’s the same disgraceful nonsense that led to the obtuse positions that since we won the U23 AFCON and an Olympic bronze with atrociously shabby preparations, we should continue to persist with such shabbiness.

The Nigerian U17 Flamingoes DESERVED TO LOSE the U17 qualifiers (a win would have been a nice bonus - but certainly not a deserved one). Folks should quit chasing the shadow of blaming coaches and focus on the SUBSTANCE of our problems (that’s how the Falcons were denied friendlies for seven months between qualifying for the 2015 WWC and getting to the tournament, and much the same chatterers turned around to blame our poor showing on The coach’s ‘prayers’). SMDH
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by oloye »

Basically others have caught up with us...this gap that i thought was so vast between us and the rest of other african teams has been closed....we are now third even in our sub region...wao!
We used to use the ...agh never mind!
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by Enugu II »

Women’s WAFU Cup: Lessons from Abidjan adventure
ACLSportsACLSports February 26, 2018 Blogs, Football, Women's Football
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The inaugural edition of West African Football Union (WAFU) Women’s Championship may have come and gone but as someone who witnessed the matches live in Abidjan, there are some crucial lessons I learnt from the tournament.

Ghana, like they did in the Men’s tournament on home soil last year won the Championship; beating arch rivals Nigeria and hosts Cote d’voire on their way to achieving glory.

Here are the four points I brought home from that tournament.

1.WAFU Cup not a bad experiment

The competition was a good work-out for the Super Falcons considering the fact that bulk of the players are U -20 players. The tournament has given them a competitive exposure in view of what to expect during their World Cup in France later in the year.

The tournament also gave the new coaching crew an opportunity to expect a tough Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) later in the year. If a country like Mali that arrived few hours to kick off of their first match after they replaced Benin Republic in the competition could frustrate the Super Falcons till the 93rd minute before the Falcons could squeeze out a goal, it then means that no country should be underrated and I want to believe the coaching crew has taken note of that.

2. Thomas Dennerby means business:

When NFF President Amaju Pinnick promised women football followers in Nigeria that the Federation would name a “World class” coach for the Super Falcons, I was one of those that didn’t really take it serious because I have always had this belief that our local coaches are good and we have won all the winnable trophies excluding the World Cup with them.

I kept pondering on what exactly the “World class” coach was coming to do but I started getting answers to my questions in Abidjan when I arrived for the WAFU Cup. I met a workaholic coach in Thomas Dennerby, I met a coach with an intimidating C.V. I had a chat with Dennerby on his vision for the Super Falcons and he made it clear that he wants to build a team that Nigerians will be proud of.

I met a coach who despite the disappointment of not being able to honour the invitational tournament in Turkey is already looking forward to the friendly match against France in April. I saw a Dennerby who is willing and ready to work and I really hope he is given all the support and enabling environment to work because the only thing I assume will make him walk away is if he is not given the support he needs.

3. Five stand-out players for the Super Falcons in the tournament

a. Glory Ogbonna:

This is one player I think has won the heart of Dennerby. She was solid and consistent at the left back position throughout the competition and won the Woman of the Match award in the game against Togo, an award she dedicated to her mentor, the late Chinedu Udoji. Little wonder she is very strong and a no-nonsense type since she has a mentor like that.

She is one player I can advocate to join the “main” Falcons team even if it is for her to under study the senior players at first.

b. Anam Imo:

Imo may have scored just one goal in this tournament but her workrate for the team is commendable. Her partnership with Rasheedat Ajibade up front can be likened to a marriage made in heaven and the Under-20 World Cup in France will give us more opportunity to see this starlet in action.

c. Rasheedat Ajibade:

Ajibade as expected did not disappoint in this tournament. She scored three goals and was always out-running the opponents, causing havoc.

In Raseedat Ajibade, another Assisat Oshoala may have been born.

d. Uchendu Chinaza:

Chinaza is one of the underrated players for Falcons in this tournament. She played all five games – three as a substitute and two as a starter.

In the two matches she started, Uchendu dazzled and bullied the defenders of their opponents (Togo and Mali) and even scored in both matches. If there was any match that has sold the Rivers Angels star to the world, it was the 3rd place match against Mali.

It was no fluke that she was awarded the Woman of the Match in that game. The Falcons big guns will soon come but I believe Uchendu might have done enough to earn herself further invitations in the future.

d. Amarachi Okonkwo and the rest:

This Nasarawa Amazon is a skillful and talented player. Amarachi was another hidden talent from this tournament. She was a substitute in three of the team’s matches but her contributions whenever she was brought on the pitch was top notch.

She was a good asset to have as a super sub on the bench and showed some potentials which sets her up for a good future.

Finally, I must commend Joy Jegede for her leadership qualities on and off the pitch. Some leaders are born while some are made but in Jegede, I saw a truly born leader.

Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and Mary Ologbosere were also very consistent in their performances and might just be ready to take over the Falcons after returning from the Under-20 World Cup.

4. Ghana must not be joked with.

If there is any country that Nigeria must pay special attention to as we prepare ahead of AWCON 2018, that country is Ghana.

Simply put: The team Ghana presented in this tournament was a delight to watch. Most of the players were from their U-20 squad as well and are very strong and energetic.

After Ghana defeated Nigeria in the semi final, their coach, a former Black Queens star Tagoe-Quarcoo boasted that Nigeria can never beat her country again.

This may look a little over the top but if we must go far in AWCON, we must work hard and prepare very well.

I again spoke with Tagoe-Quarcoo after her team won the competition and she told me how her Federation has lined up programs for the year for the Black Queens in order to keep them busy and prepared since they won’t be playing AWCON qualifiers as host.

I’m wondering what programmes our Federation have up drawn for the Super Falcons asides the friendly match against France in April and the qualifiers.

Finally, I want to appeal to the Technical Committee of the NFF to get the video clips of matches played during this competition especially those involving Ghana. It will do us good if we can get those clips to assist the coaching crew in opposition scouting.

By Faith Oluchi (@Trendyfaith on Twitter)
The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
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Otitokoro
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Re: Falcons Finish in Third Place at the WAFU.......

Post by Otitokoro »

This is what our girls are missing out on...

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