Nigeria’s Super Falcons held Cameroon to a 0-0 draw in Douala, in the first leg, third round of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers on Friday.
It was a game that saw the return of head coach Randy Waldrum back to the side after the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup.
Also back in the team was Ashleigh Plumptre, whose last outing with the former African champions was at the World Cup tournament.
The Falcons are seeking a first Olympic qualification since the 2008 games in Beijing.
Since appearing at the 2008 games, the Falcons have missed out in three consecutive editions (2012, 2016, 2020).
Also Read: Joshua Won’t Survive My Heavy Punches — Ngannou Warns
Cameroon denied the Falcons the ticket for the London 2012 games after winning on penalty shootout in the final round of the qualifiers.
In Friday’s tie, it was the Cameroonians who went close in the 11th minute but Chiamaka Nnadozie stopped them from taking the lead.
In the 28th minute Toni Payne made a brilliant run-in but could not set up Asisat Oshoala for the our opener.
The Falcons thought they had opened the scoring on 54 minutes only for substitute Jennifer Echegini’s effort ruled out for offside.
On 64 minutes Echegini then set up Oshoala on the edge of the box but her effort was well saved by the Cameroonian keeper.
The two teams will meet on Monday, 26 February in Abuja for the second leg.
Winner between the Falcons and Cameroon will face either South Africa or Tanzania in the final qualifying round.
The South Africans look good to progress into the final round after recording a 3-0 away win against Tanzania also played on Friday.
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43 Comments
This Olympics qualifier is rubbish, CAF should look it, imagine the 3 best teams in the continent edging out each other in other to qualify. When last have you seen UEFA pitching Germany, Holland and England together in a qualifier especially in women football? CAF need to do something! We need to always present our best to the world as a continent not the one that will be disgracing us like Zambia did in the last women world cup
The referee ruled out a legitimate goal. We could easily have won this game. Honestly with the scores at 0-0-, its still lo0king dicey. The coach should please start Esther Okoronkwo ahead of Oshoala in the return Leg, she is full of ego and so selfish on the pitch.
The coach must start Esther Okorokwo and bench Oshola who was ineffective and wasted our scoring chance. How can a coach bench Esther Okorokwo who is our best striker in the Super Falcons. Names doesn’t play football.
Give Esther Okorokwo a starting shirt.
The coach must start Esther Okorokwo and bench Oshola who was ineffective and wasted our scoring chance. How can a coach bench Esther Okorokwo who is our best striker in the Super Falcons. Names doesn’t play football.
Give Esther Okorokwo a starting shirt.
This coach waldrum is the problem of this team. I still cannot understand what NFF wants this man for. The team has been winning in his absence. This is a coach that will not play our best legs why?
The falcons will lose to South Africa. They are only prepping for a loss
Magudu was doing great after addressing Waldrum’ scoring issues but now Waldrum is back putting the girls under pressure. Magudu was looking ahead to winning this game home and away as he always does but this dumb NFF hired Waldrum again.
Did your Madugu win lowly Ethiopia away from home….??? Or is Cameroon one of those mickey mouse teams your Madugu has been playing against yet struggling to beat away from home…LMAOoo??
Why not wait till the end of the qualifiers before you vomit whatever trash you want to vomit….?
We have not been to the Olympics since 2008 remember, and it wasn’t a waldrum or denerby who was in charge all that while.
We fell in the 3rd round in a 5 round qualification series in 2020 under Danjuma
We fell in the 3rd round too to equatorial Guinea in 2016 under Edwin Okon
We fell to Cameroon in 2012 under Ucheria Uche or thereabout.
So shove whatever sentiments you want to champion down the sewers till the end of these qualifiers.
Cameroon is not Ethiopia and Cape Verde.
Did your Madugu win lowly Ethiopia away from home….??? Or is Cameroon one of those mickey mouse teams your Madugu has been playing against yet struggling to beat away from home…LMAOoo??
Why not wait till the end of the qualifiers before you vomit whatever trash you want to vomit….?
We have not been to the Olympics since 2008 remember, and it wasn’t a waldrum or denerby who was in charge all that while.
We fell in the 3rd round in a 5 round qualification series in 2020.
We fell in the 3rd round too to equatorial Guinea in 2016.
We fell to Cameroon in 2012.
So shove whatever sentiments you want to champion down the sewers till the end of these qualifiers.
Cameroon is not Ethiopia and Cape Verde.
You dey mad abi???
Shebi Na ya papaa get mental problem na.
And this Cameroon that Lowly Ugandan defeated by two goals before referee manufactured 3 goals for them in the second leg to scam the Ugandans. I know you are only limited to following Falcons that is why you call Ethiopia small and think Cameroon is bigger but you know nothing than just being disrespectful on a daily basis. Today is for relaxation so if you try to enter me you’ll regret it because I have your time you nonentity.
Hahahaha….idiot. Ethiopia is a bigger team than Cameroon….LMAOoo
Pls how many AWCONs has Ethiopia ever qualified for….?
How many AWCONs finals has Ethiopia ever played in….?
How many AWCON medals has Ethiopia ever won….??
How many Ethiopian players have ever won AWFOTY….??
How many Olympics has Ethiopia ever qualified for….?
How many world cups has Ethiopia ever qualified for…?
Eberibe….!!
Be brave enough to come and defend your stance….stop being a coward….LMAOoo
Come and tell us how Ethiopia is a bigger team than Cameroon….LMAOoo
Compound fool…!
Once again, with till the end of the qualifiers before you come and spread whatever sentiments and shit you want to spread against Falcons.
When have not been at the olypics for close to 16 years, and it was neither waldrum nor dennerby who were in charge when we were beating mickey mouse teams but couldn’t overcome the tough guys when it mattered most.
Let a man die b4 you bury him.
Nobody is scared of a cheap fool like you.
If you want it fact based, I will dish it out to you with a million arrows.
If you want to be dirty at it too be my guest.
Today I a restday for me too, so I have the whole weekend for an idiot like you.
But start by answering those questions I posed above first…LMAOoo
Him no go answer o
The Coach that led the team to the final phase after winning many games should have allowed to continue. The present coach is an Apostle of defending which is not good for Nigeria football culturn
Same pattern of Peseiro playing to the teams weakness, some people say because of his World Cup magic as if Magudu can not do whatever he did. Or has Coach Mabo not done that with better flair and attacking instincts. Some people on this forum have complex issues that is why they’ll prefer a white man as coach before having their confidence in a team. Even if the white man is wobbling and this nonsense has to stop!!!
Hahahaha….real complex issues. Some people are just pure dumb ignoramuses and cannot separate performance from sentiments.
They want us to continue to be f**ls like them who do the same f**lish things the same archaicaly f**lish ways and expect different results.
Please where was your “Nigerian pattern” we we kept being bundled out of olypic qualification…sometimes as early as the 3rd round as witnessed in the last 2 qualification series….???
The last time our women’s team played at the Olympics was 16 years ago, we’ve had “confidence” in our owns for 16 years yet they couldn’t qualify for the Olympics.
The last time we qualified from the group stage of the women’s world cup was 1999…we had confidence in our owns for 20 years and they couldn’t repeat the same feat until dennerby and waldrum did so in 2019 and 2023.
The same way we had confidence in our own as SE caoches yet they couldn’t qualify our super eagles for 3 out of 4 afcons until when Rohr qualified for 2019 and 2021 afcons and Peserio qualified for 2023 afcon all with games to spare….3 out of 3 back to back to back with games to spare sef….LMAOoo.
Rohr took us to the podium in 2019, Peserio took us to the podium in 2023 (both were in 24 team formats equivalent at least a place in the final of a 16team format). In between we chose to ‘have confidence in our owns” and then “our owns” disgraced us in 2022 and also got us booted out of the WC as an icing on the cake.
Please where was your “Nigerian pattern” when Siasia, Fake Guadiola and Mr Exprees yourself and failed woefully when it mattered most. The exception of them, Keshi never even played the so-called “Nigerian pattern”. He played what Omo9ja criticized him for back then as “gather and play” style of football….and he got results.
In this day of result oriented football, one donk in here ranting about “Nigerian pattern” and “confidence”
Confidence of 16 to 20 years isnt enough right…?
Confidence k**l u dia…!
Anybody who still thinks it is an issue of complexes needs to be taking into a mentl rehab ASAP.
I wish the reverse was the scenario. I wish it was our owns who were grinding out relative successes where the foreigners were failing.
No mind d werey always hating 4 no reason,d guy no sabi state beta facts na half half fact him sabi
Nigerian I hail thee, who do us like this for this country? Bcos of a draw away to a formidable team and you all already condemning the same coach you all praise to heaven at the just concluded WC?
Emmecco, I agree with you, Oshoala should come through the bench cos I honestly have not seen her putting on her ber best for the falcon, with so much hype around her, one expect good positive influence on the field but no, the reverse has always been the case,’SHE IS PLAYING OGA MADAM GAME’NOW,
PEOPLE SHOULD STUDY HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TEAM AND FORGET ABOUT THE NAME COS NAMES DON’T PLAY FOOTBALL IN AFRICA AGAIN.
I WISH WALDRUM WILL BE COURAGEOUS TO BENCH HER.
I’ve been saying this since the tine of Thomas Dennerby. She’s passed her prime and very heavy and lackadaisical these days. This isn’t Oshoala of 2014, 2015. The coach should get this. People Saud she was not fully fut at the WC is she still not fit now? And if sheis still not fully fit, why invite her? Let them start players who can run abd fight for the ball. Not a Boss Lady who plays like she is the one paying the piper and should dictate the tune.
Again, the senior team coaches adopting defensive approach to matches is still a mystery to me. It has its own limitation, and so un-Nigerian.
But, did you guys watch the match ?
Can you provide a link to the highlights ?
Otherwise, it appears that some of you especially the jingoists and hate filled people who would hail a certain striker that failed to score a single goal for the Super Eagles in all competitions as the greatest ever SE footballer but would always come on this forum hating on the greatest African female footballer and one if the best in the world.
Mrs Ethnic jingoist, the fact that you didn’t watch the match doesn’t mean others didn’t.
I watch the match and your agabaya-baller was shit….as shitty as she as been since the world cup. If she doesn’t want to play for Nigeria anymore she should get lost and go focus on her Bay FC where I’m very sure she’ll be well exposed henceforth. Bays is not Barca Femeni where they will create 15 chances before she can score 2.
She had a 2 on Gk situation in the 53rd minute where she could have squared the ball to a free as a burd Esther to tap into the net, but she chose to go solo and the keeper saved from her feet. That’s in addition to her crap performance all game until she was yanked off for Omorinsola or so.
Yea, a camerouninan station beamed the game live, so we watched it live and the likes of Ajibade, Abiodun, Echegini and Esther were by far our best players on the night
When people who watched the game talk. Those who didn’t should zip their gut.
We should all know that Waldrum is going to give us nothing different from what Peseiro gave us at the AFCON. He will continue with the defensive game he played at the world cup and keep playing the girls out of position just to accommodate his preferred players just like he did at the world cup.
How can you push Tony Payne to the wing simply because you want to play Deborah Abiodun in this match. Tony Payne is the best attacking midfielder in the team for now but he decided to play 3 defensive midfielders. How on earth did he think he was going to score in the match! This is considering the fact that he also played an Oshoala who is no longer as fit as she once was because age has caught up with her and she has past her prime.
Waldrum had strikers available for the match but decided go with other ideas. This was how he kept playing defensive against England at the world cup when England was a woman down. That match was there for the taking for the super falcons but he refused to play attacking football and Nigeria lost.
For as long as Waldrum and Peseiro keep playing this their negative and pack the bus football, they will be sacked eventually because if you play Mourinho type of football, you’ll get Mourinho type of result and that will ultimately end in sack letter.
Our football is dead South Africa ladies will fcck the hell out of this Waldrum as they did before when they last met him. I’m tired of NFF why they can not build on the success of the teams recent scintillating performance but rather go back to a coach that mostly makes her team play the ball back and soak pressure hoping mistake happens for them to be able to counter attack and even at that no proper final ball. Watch Magudu build up play and compare to this trash you’ll understand why we are been scammed by Waldrum and NFF.
Hahahaha….real complex issues. Some people are just pure dumb ignoramuses and cannot separate performance from sentiments.
They want us to continue to be fo-ols like them who do the same fo-olish things the same archaicaly fo-olish ways and expect different results.
The last time our women’s team played at the Olympics was 16 years ago, we’ve had “confidence” in our owns for 16 years yet they couldn’t qualify for the Olympics.
The last time we qualified from the group stage of the women’s world cup was 1999…we had confidence in our owns for 20 years and they couldn’t repeat the same feat until dennerby and waldrum did so in 2019 and 2023.
The same way we had confidence in our own as SE caoches yet they couldn’t qualify our super eagles for 3 out of 4 afcons until when Rohr qualified for 2019 and 2021 afcons and Peserio qualified for 2023 afcon all with games to spare….3 out of 3 back to back to back with games to spare sef….LMAOoo.
Rohr took us to the podium in 2019, Peserio took us to the podium in 2023 (both were in 24 team formats equivalent at least a place in the final of a 16team format). In between we chose to ‘have confidence in our owns” and then “our owns” disgraced us in 2022 and also got us booted out of the WC as an icing on the cake.
Confidence kee u dia…!
Anybody who still thinks it is an issue of complexes needs to be taking into a mental rehab ASAP.
I wish the reverse was the scenario. I wish it was our owns who were grinding out relative successes where the foreigners were failing.
Hahahaha….real complex issues. Some people are just pure dumb ignoramuses and cannot separate performance from sentiments.
They want us to continue to be f**ls like them who do the same f**lish things the same archaicaly f**lish ways and expect different results.
The last time our women’s team played at the Olympics was 16 years ago, we’ve had “confidence” in our owns for 16 years yet they couldn’t qualify for the Olympics.
The last time we qualified from the group stage of the women’s world cup was 1999…we had confidence in our owns for 20 years and they couldn’t repeat the same feat until dennerby and waldrum did so in 2019 and 2023.
The same way we had confidence in our own as SE caoches yet they couldn’t qualify our super eagles for 3 out of 4 afcons until when Rohr qualified for 2019 and 2021 afcons and Peserio qualified for 2023 afcon all with games to spare….3 out of 3 back to back to back with games to spare sef….LMAOoo.
Rohr took us to the podium in 2019, Peserio took us to the podium in 2023 (both were in 24 team formats equivalent at least a place in the final of a 16team format). In between we chose to ‘have confidence in our owns” and then “our owns” disgraced us in 2022 and also got us booted out of the WC as an icing on the cake.
Confidence of 16 to 20 years isnt enough right…?
Confidence k**l u dia…!
Anybody who still thinks it is an issue of complexes needs to be taking into a mentl rehab ASAP.
I wish the reverse was the scenario. I wish it was our owns who were grinding out relative successes where the foreigners were failing.
You’re the tribalist and a big one!
You guys did not watch the match. So because you read we had 0:0, scoreline, then it means we played defensive football. For your information we had 2 good goals chopped off because of poor officiating.
Let’s not be quick to criticise without facts. I will post the highlight link here.
The match was on YouTube by two different channels so what are you taking about? The team was indifferent playing trash football different from Magudu hurriedly assembled team that even played better.
Hahahaha….Madugu hurriedly assembled team….LMAOoo. Tell us another lie pls, not this one.
Madagu has been in the Falcons technical crew for ages, he went to the world cup with them. He has used the same team that prepared for or went to the world till date.
Please where and when did Madagu hurriedly assemble a team for these qualifiers….LMAOoo.
Shameless liar.
Waldrum went past Ghana, Ivory Coast and Cameroon to qualify for the last Wafcon and world cup, but you will not let us rest because madugu played Capeverde and Ethiopia….LMAOoo
You even has no shame as to even call a team he has been with for over 3 years a hurriedly assembled them….LMAOoo
Madugu’s hurriedly assembled team according to you struggled to beat Ethiopia away from home, Waldrum’s “hurriedly assembled team” (whom he hasn’t been with since a year or so) also played a draw away to Cameroon….so what is the reason for your heartburn….??? LMAOooo
Wait till Waldrum fails before you start peddling fake news..LMAOoo
Watch highlights here before saying trash.
https://youtu.be/0O2eJIdUsgI?si=PxK4kK7ng3h7d-bF
Pt 1
Cameroon vs Nigeria (0:0) Review
I think Randy Waldrum has every reason to be buoyant of the Super Falcons’ chances in the second leg of this Olympic Qualifiers because it only took the absence of VAR for Nigeria not to record at least a 2:0 victory in the first leg.
Esther Okoronkwo was robbed of 2 legitimate goals after a perfect header that evaded the touch of the Cameroon goalkeeper was cancelled before a second goal was cancelled for offside with replays showing the China based striker was miles inside when Ucheibe launched the looping pass.
Pt2
Waldrum had put out his strongest squad for this encounter signalling his intentions of leaving the encounter with nothing less than a win.
Some anti-Waldrum fans had posted that stand-in coach Magudu would have orchestrated a win because of his victories against Ethiopia and Cape Verde. Well, a draw against Brazil is as good as wins against Cuba and Guatemala (if you get my drift). I don’t even know how Magudu’s presence would have averted the VAR-Absence decisions that went against us.
Anyways I enjoyed the game nonetheless. It was played at a level of intensity befitting a game of this magnitude.
It was great to see Toni Payne deployed in her natural winger position but I was rathered perplexed when, through on goal with only the goalkeeper at her mercy, she elected to pass to Oshoala who wasn’t even in prime position thereby ruining a great opportunity.
“A draw against Brazil is as good as wins against Cuba and Guatemala (if you get my drift).”
Hahahaha. I get your drift. I think letting Madugu lead the team against Cameroun would have been a big risk. I watched all the SF matches under him, none was very convincing to me despite the scorelines at home. The team was at best disjointed and only won at home cos of the quality of the opponents.
Waldru would have easily beaten both Ethiopia and Cape Verde away. His team played a more cohesive and tactical game yesterday compared to the past few months under Madugu. Madugu didn;t really convince for me and I think I’ve said a couple times in past SF game report threads by CSN here.
Elite players like Echiegini and Plumptre were not even honoring invites under him and pulling out with flimsy excuses.
Pt3
Tosin Demehin started waywardly with a poor long pass but she would redeem herself with powerful displays as the match progressed.
Waldrum deployed a 4-2-1-3 formation with a triangle midfield of Ucheibe, Ayinde and Abiodun. The idea was to slide through passes to Oshoala or the wings and this did produce plentiful opportunities. But many through passes were either too long or they found Oshoala offside. When Oshoala was onside, she either overran the ball, pushed the ball too far forward or delivered inadequate crosses
Some of the offside calls were also contentious as replays showed Nigerians onside.
Pt4
In the first half, Nigeria struggled to create clearcut scoring chances despite healthy possession. If fact it was Cameroon that would come closest to score. But all that would change in the second half after the Super Falcons picked up the pace and started asking credible questions of the Cameroon defence with injection of fresh legs.
Ajibade and Plumptre would be muscled off the ball on occasions but they both grew thicker skins as the game wore on with Plumptre even earning a yellow card for her overtly physical approach.
At some point, the Super Falcons relied on long balls from deep midfield or even from defence to locate the strikers but Cameroon interceptors were on hand to prevent the balls reaching the target.
Pt5
As alluded, heavy touches did let Oshoala down on some occasions but she always (to me) seems more deadly when operating from the flanks. Her supersonic speed still creates problems as she makes the defenders really work extra hard to stop her once in flight. It took outstretched Cameroon leg or lung bursting chase to stop Oshoala when she ran down from the flanks. She even had a decent shot saved but, I have to be brutally honest, I find Oshoala’s game so frustrating to watch at times – you just feel she should have the wits and intelligence to do more than trouble defenders with raw pace (reminiscent of her Under-20 days, it seems to me that her game never evolved, but I feel compelled to accord her the respect her stature demands).
Towards the end of the match, Cameroon became far more organised at the back effectively curtailing Nigeria’s forrays.
Pt6
Nigeria played very well. Waldrum’s through ball philosophy opened up huge gaps and craters in Cameroonian defence only for dubious decisions to cancel out goals or issue non existing offsides. The philosophy of crossings also caused Cameroon problems. The Super Falcons defence was rattled at times and the fullbacks (Imuran and Alozie) were either well drilled or caught in no-woman’s land. Deborah Abiodun was slightly low key as an attacking midfielder and Toni Payne didn’t really stamp her authority in her winger position. Oshoala remains an enigma and Ajibade didn’t really have one of those explosive performances.
@Deo, once again, you have justified your pedigree as a credible personality. Compared to some indecent and delusional destructive misfits who come to this forum to share falsehood and hatred.
Conclusion:
Watching this game didn’t represent a waste of my time. Despite the dubious decisions, I still applaud the match officials as I feel some of those scenarios were difficult to capture without the aid of VAR.
Most of our substitutes made cases for themselves to start in the next match particularly Okonkwo, Echegini and Rinsola.
Waldrum was justified in his formation, selection and substitutions as credible chances were created and a clean sheet was kept.
A big thank you to Cameroon Football Federation for filming the match and providing commentaries that elevated the experience and made the match more wonderful to watch even though the commentators clearly and understandably favoured Cameroon.
Nigeria should be able to power to a win in Abuja, barring unforseen circumstances.
Absolutely spot on Deo. I don’t think there is any other better analysis than what you have given to us. I watched the whole match, and my thought is the ref and ass. ref were horrendous with the officiating. Two legitimate goals by Esther Okoronkwo ruled out. The Cameroonians were just too physical without being cautioned. Tony Payne was played out of position. Remember the World Cup, she was outstanding playing attacking midfield. Most of our offensive play were through her, but yesterday, it was difficult for her.
With better officiating and luck(you definitely need luck) on our side, the Super Falcons will win come Monday.
I hope NFF no go fall our hand. They need to provide the platform for live streaming of the 2nd leg.