Portugal 0 vs Super falcons 0 FT

[naijaguy]

[naijaguy]

Chiamaka Nnadozie is good

[naijaguy]

Nigeria is really playing well bearing in mind they just arrived yesterday.

[naijaguy]

Chiamaka Nnadozie is soooo gooooooood

[naijaguy]

I believe we will take back the trophy from south Africa if we play the way we are playing Portugal.

[oglex30]

I believe we will take back the trophy from south Africa if we play the way we are playing Portugal.

I agree, this is a very strong and technically better set of players we now have. I'm still concerned about our final third but this is a better squad. Even the subs that have all come on have done well.

[naijaguy]

I believe we will take back the trophy from south Africa if we play the way we are playing Portugal.

I agree, this is a very strong and technically better set of players we now have. I'm still concerned about our final third but this is a better squad. Even the subs that have all come on have done well.

You are right, we need to improve in the final third.
I also do hope that the coach keeps this team this way and not start playing Oshoala who is now past it.

[mcal]

...erratic, need more training for ball control and passing.

[naijaguy]

FT 0-0.

[oglex30]

I believe we will take back the trophy from south Africa if we play the way we are playing Portugal.

I agree, this is a very strong and technically better set of players we now have. I'm still concerned about our final third but this is a better squad. Even the subs that have all come on have done well.

You are right, we need to improve in the final third.
I also do hope that the coach keeps this team this way and not start playing Oshoala who is now past it.

Ordega surprised me today, I thought she was done but she's clearly not.

[naijaguy]

I believe we will take back the trophy from south Africa if we play the way we are playing Portugal.

I agree, this is a very strong and technically better set of players we now have. I'm still concerned about our final third but this is a better squad. Even the subs that have all come on have done well.

You are right, we need to improve in the final third.
I also do hope that the coach keeps this team this way and not start playing Oshoala who is now past it.

Ordega surprised me today, I thought she was done but she's clearly not.

She surprised me too. Asides Nnadozie, she'll by ma player of the match.

[naijaguy]

Next up is vs Ghana on the 29th

[Damunk]

Quite impressed.
Ball retention and distribution.
Not perfect but getting better.
to the coach too.

[davidbam14]

...erratic, need more training for ball control and passing.

very true, thats what i was thinking

[fabio]

So an HB coach drew with a country ranked higher?

if it was FC... We would be reading some of the greatest revisionist in falcon history.

[iworo]

So an HB coach drew with a country ranked higher?

if it was FC... We would be reading some of the greatest revisionist in falcon history.

Bro, it’s not a big deal! You’re the one trying to make it into one. Both local and foreign coaches have achieved more in the past, so stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

Top 10 Super Falcons of Nigeria games of all-time: https://www.pulse.ng/articles/super-fa ... 6592014523

[highbury]

So an HB coach drew with a country ranked higher?

if it was FC... We would be reading some of the greatest revisionist in falcon history.

Don't mind the foreign coach hustlers we have here. Anything with white skin will do for them- SLAVES!

[packerland]

So an HB coach drew with a country ranked higher?

if it was FC... We would be reading some of the greatest revisionist in falcon history.

Don't mind the foreign coach hustlers we have here. Anything with white skin will do for them- SLAVES!

Oh stop it you two! We are ranked below them because we don’t play friendlies. Is Ireland better than Nigeria? Ireland is currently ranked 11pts above us, did an FC not draw with them at the World Cup.

[bret- hart]

So an HB coach drew with a country ranked higher?

if it was FC... We would be reading some of the greatest revisionist in falcon history.

Don't mind the foreign coach hustlers we have here. Anything with white skin will do for them- SLAVES!

Dumb and Dumber.

[Damunk]

Chiamaka Nnadozie is soooo gooooooood

The scary thing is the gap between her and the next in line is sooooooo wide, it could be a problem in the future.
Thankfully she is still very young (24) and will be around for a long time by when a worthy successor should hopefully be in place. We pray she stays injury free but I secretly worry about the knee pads she permanently wears. Anyone know why?

Chiamaka is truly exceptional. Probably already Africa’s greatest female GK of all time.

[Damunk]

I believe we will take back the trophy from south Africa if we play the way we are playing Portugal.

I agree, this is a very strong and technically better set of players we now have. I'm still concerned about our final third but this is a better squad. Even the subs that have all come on have done well.

You are right, we need to improve in the final third.
I also do hope that the coach keeps this team this way and not start playing Oshoala who is now past it.

Ordega surprised me today, I thought she was done but she's clearly not.

Me too o! Some of her play was top notch.
She’s still pretty fast too!

I really thought she was winding down, especially when she started talking of wanting to start a family.
Good for her!

[packerland]

I believe we will take back the trophy from south Africa if we play the way we are playing Portugal.

I agree, this is a very strong and technically better set of players we now have. I'm still concerned about our final third but this is a better squad. Even the subs that have all come on have done well.

You are right, we need to improve in the final third.
I also do hope that the coach keeps this team this way and not start playing Oshoala who is now past it.

Ordega surprised me today, I thought she was done but she's clearly not.

Me too o! Some of her play was top notch.
She’s still pretty fast too!

I really thought she was winding down, especially when she started talking of wanting to start a family.
Good for her!

She surprised me too, but I still think she should not have made the team. We can’t always be looking back at these veteran players to extract whatever remaining juices they have left. Ekong can still play but shouldn’t we have replaced him by now?

[iworo]

Nigeria can thank Chiamaka Nnadozie for Portugal draw as WAFCON prep heats up

By Colin Udoh

Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was in sparkling form to help Nigeria's Super Falcons held Portugal to 0-0 draw on Monday in Lisbon, as their preparations for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations tournament gathers pace.

Nigeria, with less than 24 hours lead time between their arrival in Portugal and kickoff, and missing a posse of their usual starting core, looked far from fatigued in the opening minutes as head coach Justin Madugu left some of his available regulars on the bench.

The team showed organised and composed passing early on, but the lack of time together soon caught up with them, degrading their cohesion and leaving opportunities for the hosts to poke at.

But for Nnadozie's heroics, the nine-time African champions would have been at least two goals down going into the break.

The France-based keeper remained on top of her game in the second half, making multiple additional stops, including three of world class quality, within a four-minute spell to hold the shutout.

Nigeria's - and indeed the game's - best chance of a goal came when veteran Francesca Ordega picked up a stray goalkeeper clearance, and with Inês Pereira way off her line, lobbed an effort that came bouncing off the cross bar with the Portuguese stopper stranded.

It was a fair result in the end for the Super Falcons against a team ranked 14 places above them in the FIFA rankings (Portugal are ranked 22nd), and given Nigeria's preparation constraints and depleted lineup.

But the game also offered telling insights into Madugu's squad -- both the strengths and lingering uncertainties and their readiness to reclaim their African title.



Nnadozie will be a difference-maker

There is a reason Nnadozie has been named Africa's best goalkeeper and also won similar awards in France. Without her, the Super Falcons would have lost this game.

Nnadozie conjured up at least three good saves in the first half, then followed that up with another five in the second, including one where she came face to face with Jéssica Silva, forced the forward wide, and then got a hand to the ball, and a stomp on her palm for her troubles.

Nnadozie has been almost exclusively played by former coach Randy Waldrum and now Madugu, and one thing is clear, as long as she stays fit and in form, forwards at WAFCON will need to be at their best to beat the Falcons.

The flip side of that argument is that there has been as yet no sign of a backup goalkeeper in action, and if Nnadozie is to get injured or suspended, that could throw a spanner in the Super Falcons championship-chasing works.

Ordega impresses on return

Despite her club form across Russia and Saudi Arabia, there had been clear murmurings of discontent about the recall of Ordega to the final squad.

Against Portugal, she showed glimpses of why she used to be a starter for both the Washington Spirit and the Super Falcons, providing most of the team's rare moments of pace and threat.

Early in the game, she cut into the box and found captain Rasheedat Ajibade, whose smart turn and shot nearly wrong-footed goalkeeper Ines Pereira. Just before half time, she was again involved as Nigeria almost took the lead against the run of play, but Rinsola Babajide overhit the ball from that opportunity which presented itself after Ordega had been foiled with a last-ditch effort.

Halfway through the second half, she was back again with a brilliant move and pass into the box that went begging.

Ordega's highlight moment, and indeed the highlight of the game came when she rattled the crossbar from distance after catching the goalkeeper off her line and sending in what was just inches short of a precise lob.

While she may no longer be the explosive presence she once was, her tournament savvy, quick feet and even quicker thinking may well be the experience that may be needed as an impact player in difficult moments deep in the business end of the tournament.



Youngsters struggle to impress

A caveat: One game is not enough of a sample size to judge a player, but it might be enough to ask certain selection-related questions.

Left back Miracle Usani endured a rough day against Portugal. In fact, for most of the first half, it appeared the Portuguese women identified her early as a weakness and zeroed in on attacking that side, with great success.

Such was the ease with which they were getting through that when Madugu finally threw on Ashleigh Plumptre, it felt like a mercy substitution.

To be clear, Usani is no stranger to high level football. She has risen through the ranks, beginning with a standout performance at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in India, where she helped Nigeria secure a bronze medal.

She continued to make progress, joining the LaLiga Academy and earning a place in the CAF Women's Champions League Best XI in 2024, no small accomplishment for a teenager competing against Africa's elite.

One of the biggest weaknesses that Waldrum identified during his time as coach was left back, and part of his solution was to deploy Plumptre, a left-footed centreback, to plug the holes while he trained Rofiat Imuran, plucked from the under 20s, to be the long term fix.

While Usani has plenty of promise, Madugu truncating that succession plan is a head-scratching call.

Where will the goals come from at WAFCON?

Madugu had seen enough on the hour mark and threw on Ifeoma Onumonu, Halimatu Ayinde and Plumptre to replace Babajide, Jennifer Echegini and Usani.

The effect was immediate and led to almost instant reward as the team looked sharper, more threatening and less liable to giving away a goal from the left channel.

Onumonu's hold-up play, as usual, was impeccable and gave Nigeria more structure in attack. Ayinde brought calm and balance to midfield. Plumptre shut down the left side that had been so vulnerable.

The improved control suggests that with a full-strength squad, proper rest, and enough training time under their belts, the Super Falcons can still make a strong case for reclaiming their African crown in short order.

Ajibade's quiet leadership and impact goals, the pairing of Tosin Demehin and Osinachi Ohale at center back, and the Deborah Abiodun-Halimatu Ayinde midfield axis all offer championship promise.

But questions linger upfront. Well-sorted in midfield and defence, Nigeria's big issue going into the WAFCON could be goals.

Asisat Oshoala can be a game-changer at a moment's notice, but she is going through a bad patch at the moment. Neither Ordega nor Onumonu are known for consistent goal-scoring. None of the other forwards, including Esther Okoronkwo have shown that they can carry the goalscoring load.

At their best, the Super Falcons have always thrived when they had natural born snipers like Mercy Akide, Perpetua Nkwocha and even Oshoala in her prime. Madugu will have to fashion a way for his team to find goals if their ambition of a 10th tournament title is to be accomplished.

But there is one more scrimmage to go, in Casablanca against Ghana on Sunday, with a full squad. A clearer picture of the Super Falcons championship chops should emerge from that contest ahead of their opening game on July 6 against Tunisia.

https://www.espn.co.uk/espn/story/_/id/ ... p-heats-up