Five Talking Points From Nigeria's Shock Defeat To South Africa In AWCON Opener
Published: November 18, 2018 Defending champs Nigeria lost 1-0 to South Africa in their 2018 Africa Women Nations Cup opener on Sunday evening.
Here are five talking points from the match staged at Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast :
1. The Falcons Lost Possessions A Lot
The Super Falcons were guilty of giving away the ball several times in the game.
That put paid sometimes to promising build up plays and handed initiatives to the nippy South Africans.
The Nigerian girls would need to be more assured when dictating the pace of the game.
2. Okobi Deserves To Play From The Start
Ngozi Okobi came off the bench to replace injured captain Rita Chikwelu and she brought some calmness in the Nigerian midfield.
The Falcons weighed in with some great passes but unfortunately was not on the pitch for greater part of the game to make the difference.
She deserves to start against Zambia on Wednesday.
3. Oparanozie Worst Game For Falcons
Thus would surely go down as Desire Oparanozie's worst game for Nigeria.
The striker spurned two clear cut scoring chances neither did she create goal scoring opportunities of note for her teammates.
4. The Ghanaian Fans' Support For South Africa
A section of the crowd that watched the game with colorful polos and the map of Ghana on the front cheered every move made by the Bayana Bayana.
Nigeria and Ghana have football rivalry in both the men and women's categories, and now South Africa are emerging as one of Nigeria's toughest rivals.
Ghanaian fans will definitely not want their team to face Nigeria in the semifinals hence the motive for their allegiance.
5. The Falcons Will Need To Play Two Up Top Versus Zambia
Coach Thomas Dennerby deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with Desire Oparanozie as the lone striker and the duo of Asisat Oshoala and Francisca Ordega playing from the wings.
Against Zambia, Dennerby needs to pair Oshoala and Oparanozie from the start of the game.
Oparanozie was sometimes isolated upfront but that was no excuse for the gilt-edge chances she wasted.
Izuchukwu Okosi
Latest News
- Super Eagles injury curse gets worse: After Onyemaechi and Chukwueze, Osimhen suffers same fate
- Official: Sheffield Wednesday make contract decisions on three Nigerians starlets
- 'We want to win the game' - Chelsea's Nigerian coach ahead of U18 national final against Man Utd
- Injury to the hamstring of the left thigh: Chukwueze in AC Milan's treatment room ahead of WCQs
- 'Very, very perfect' - Finidi assures he has a good relationship with Super Eagles players
- 'If you can do that' - Nigeria coach Finidi reveals two conditions for inviting players to the Super Eagles
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Season: Boniface battles Chelsea and PSG loanees, Hoffenheim forward
- 'I have a tough skin' - Finidi insists pressure is not in his dictionary ahead of World Cup qualifiers
- Fabrizio Romano confirms Chelsea have contacted agent over deal for Napoli star Victor Osimhen
- 'He was jogging' - Onuoha criticises Casemiro for his performance during Man Utd's loss to Arsenal
Football News 24/7
News Categories
- Football Betting
- African Players
- Australia/ Asia
- Belgian Championship
- Bundesliga
- Danish Football
- English Premier League
- Nigeria National Teams
- Nigeria Premier League
- Norwegian Football
- Polish Football
- Russian Championship
- Serie A
- Spanish Liga
- Swedish Championship
- Transfer
- Turkish Championship
- Ukrainian Football
- Uncategorized
- Women's Football