‘Super Falcons remain African superpower’ – Unuanel plays down Nigeria’s defeat to Ghana



Nigeria’s women’s senior national team remains a strong force in African football despite losing to Ghana 1-0 in Sunday’s African Women’s Cup of Nations qualifier, according to coach Samson Unuanel.

The Super Falcons took a two-goal advantage to Accra for the first round second leg qualifier, but they were caged by Merce Tagoe’s Black Queens with Princella Adubea scoring the only goal.

Despite the result, the reigning African queens advanced to the next round of qualifiers for Morocco 2022 Awcon.

The loss to Ghana has continued to generate contrasting opinions from the football sphere, with some claiming Randy Waldrum’s women are the best on the continent at the moment.

Nonetheless, the former Sunshine Stars and Enyimba tactician feels otherwise: “Other teams in Africa are really working very hard to dethrone Nigeria,” Unuanel told Goal.

“Despite the result, they remain a superpower in Africa. This is really nothing to fret about.

“This is not the time to condemn the Super Falcons for their defeat to Ghana, but a time to encourage the team to do better next time.

“Let me add that in football, you don’t win all the time. You win some and lose some. To be honest with you, they are making progress.”

Nigeria square up against Cote d’Ivoire in the next round of qualifiers and the veteran coach suggests what should be done to scale the Women Elephants’ hurdle.

“Coach Waldrum has been with the team for months now, so he certainly knows the problems as seen in the matches against Ghana,” he continued.

“His immediate assignment is how to work on the lapses to avoid a repeat against Cote d’Ivoire.

“Timely and good preparations are part of what the Falcons need as we have the talent and the NFF that is ready to give everything to make the ladies excel.

“If they work hard too, they will not only qualify for the competition. They will also rule Africa again.

“That being said, we should not forget that football is not mathematics. It’s about getting back whatever you put in.”

Since the inception of the biennial African championship in 1991, Nigeria have won the competition a record 11 times.



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