Paris 2024 Olympics: Oshoala rallies Super Falcons for must-win clash against Japan

Super Falcons forward Asisat Oshoala has tasked the Nigeria senior women’s team to be clinical in their last Paris 2024 Olympics group fixture against Japan on Wednesday, July 31.

Despite suffering two consecutive 1-0 losses to Brazil and Spain in their return to the Olympic Games, the Super Falcons showed promise in both matches, with their efforts marred only by poor finishing and momentarily lack of concentration.

“We lost to two of the best teams in the world,” Randy Waldrum said. “Spain is the top team in the world and Brazil are in the top 10.

“We have shown that we could have got something out of those matches. It shows we can play against anybody in the world.”

A loss to Japan on Wednesday would seal the Falcons’ elimination from the Olympics. The nine-time African champions currently sit fourth in Group C with zero points, while Brazil and Japan, both on three points, trail Spain, who leads with six points.

“We just have to go all out against Japan. We have to go all out and give everything and make the best out of it because we still have the opportunity to qualify. Hope is not lost,” Oshoala told Totori News.

“To be honest, I wanted them to draw in the game (Brazil vs. Japan), so it keeps the goal open for us, and as fate will have it, they won, and now we have to go all out and shift another motivation for us.

“We’ve played two games, two good games for us as a team, and I think from our last match, we can be better. It is just that we just need to be clinical.”
The Bay FC forward, however, admitted the team’s poor finishing has been their biggest undoing in France.

“All I can say is that I’m proud of the team’s performance. I think we played well. We played against the world champions, and we had our chances; we had opportunities to score against Spain.

“I think the same thing happened to us in the first game. We were not clinical, and we just need to be clinical up front, and I think if we start scoring goals, we can compete with any team in the world.”

Nigeria’s crucial fixture against Japan is scheduled for 4 pm (WAT) at the Stade de Beaujoire in Nantes on Wednesday. A loss to Brazil against Spain and a convincing victory for the Waldrum-led ladies will seal their qualification to the next stage.