2 weeks Ago By Guardian Nigeria
Football players and officials of nine-time African champions, Nigeria, started arriving in Angers, France, yesterday, ahead of the much-anticipated friendly game between the Super Falcons and the Les Bleues, reports thenff.com. Only goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who plays her club football in France, and Mexico-based defender Osinachi Ohale, remain from that squad that was undone by, among other things, a hat-trick from Valérie Gauvin, and an own goal by defender Faith Ikidi-Michael.
The defeat equalled the Falcons’ biggest-ever defeats – by Norway at the 1995 FIFA World Cup finals in Sweden, and by Germany in a friendly match in Leverkusen’s Bay Arena, on November 25, 2010. However, clashes at the FIFA World Cup finals have been much closer, with the Falcons losing by the odd goal against the Les Bleues, in Germany in 2011, and by the same margin at the Roazhon Park when both sides clashed at the 2019 finals hosted by France. The consummation of Saturday’s encounter is a further confirmation of the Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led administration’s commitment to fully blood a new Super Falcons’ squad, by implementing a process of exposure and experience-garnering for the new squad, following an under-par outing at the women’s Olympic football tournament in France, this summer.
The big game with the Les Bleues comes up only five weeks after the first of two friendly matches with Algeria’s Green Ladies in Nigeria (2-0 and 4-1 wins), and eight days after the Super Falcons learnt they would be playing Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana in the group phase at the 13th Women AFCON in Morocco next summer. Saturday’s match will commence at 9.30 p.
m. France time, same time as in Nigeria.The players selected for the match are goalkeepers Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Anderline Mgbechi (Rivers Angels), and Rachael Unachukwu (Nasarawa Amazons).
The defenders in the squad are Osinachi Ohale (Pachuca Club de Futbol, Mexico); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Ashleigh Plumptre (Ittihad Ladies, Saudi Arabia); Rofiat Imuran (London City Lioness, England); Sikiratu Isah (Nasarawa Amazons) and Oluwatosin Demehin (Galatasaray Sportive, Turkey). The midfielders are Jennifer Echegini (Paris Saint Germain, France); Toni Payne (Everton Ladies, England); Josephine Mathias (Nasarawa Amazons); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Shukurat Oladipo (FC Robo Queens); and Adoo Yina (Nasarawa Amazons), while the forwards in the team are Blessing Nkor (Pyramids FC, Egypt); Gift Monday (Costa Adeje Tenerife Egatesa (Spain); Ifeoma Onumonu (Montpellier FC, France); Omorinsola Babajide (Costa Adeje Tenerife Egatesa (Spain), and Mercy Omokwo (Bayelsa Queens)..
