Side Kick

Super Falcons gallant in defeat

 

With Adebayo Olodan

Despite their latest controversial loss to the hosts at the ongoing
Women World Cup in France, the Super Falcons deserved to be encouraged
by all and sundry.
For France to secure a narrow win against a team they had earlier
defeated 8-0 in an international friendly, the VAR was consulted
twice, first to determine a penalty then for it to be retaken – after
an infringement by Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
It was not only  our girls that felt hard done by but the entire
nation felt robbed especially seeing how dogged a fight the team put
in.
The players were drawn to tears and had earlier protested following
the Red card issued to Ngozi Ebere – for a second booking – and the
penalty.
The coach himself (Thomas Dennerby) was visibly shaken from the
appalling officiating he witnessed from his technical area. The Swede,
felt Nigerian in the moment and even beyond that the
characteristically chatty coach hardly mustered the modicum of
civility to speak after the game.
His words were carefully chosen but no doubt captured the spirit of
the game, “All my players are heroes,” he said.
Heroes indeed for they fought gallantly against a French side built to
dismantle and demolish opponents; over a year ago, Dennerby and the
bulk of this Super Falcons team felt that wrath in the 8-0 bashing at
MM Arena.
On Monday, in their final group game, the African champions rarely saw
a prolonged period of dominance on the ball.
Little to talk about attacking play and almost zero shot at the
opposition goalie.
But they defended well, held up play and repelled wave after wave of
French attack.
It could have easily ended in a goalless result and another point for
Nigeria; and what a valuable one it would have been for their quest to
reach the round of 16.
But now and like Dennerby himself admits, ” it’s no longer in our hands.”
The Super Falcons can still progress as one of four second best
runners up, if the results elsewhere favour them and it’s not so much
of a big IF given the odds.
But then, there probably would have been no better form of justice
than to see the Falcons progress to the next round, for only the
second time in their World Cup history, on account of their
performance in Rennes.

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