Completesports.com’s ADEBOYE AMOSU rates the performance of Super Falcons players in the 1-0 defeat to Brazil at Matmut Atlantique Stadium, Bordeaux on Thursday night
CHIAMAKA NNADOZIE 6/10
The Paris FC goalkeeper was not at fault for the goal conceded by the Super Falcons. He made a number of good saves in the game.
MICHELLE ALOZIE 6/10
Put up a solid display in the game though he didn’t offer much going forward. Switched off to left-back in the second half.
OSINACHI OHALE 7/10
The dependable defender did well to ward off the threat of the Brazilian attackers.
TOSIN DEMEHIN 7/10
A good centre-back partner for Osinachi Ohale. Their understanding keeps growing by the day.
CHIDINMA OKEKE 5/10
Caught out of position by the pacy Brazilians a couple of times. She was replaced by Nicole Payne in the second half.
DEBORAH ABIODUN 7/10
A good display from the defensive midfielder despite the Super Falcons going down to a narrow defeat.
CHRISTY UCHEIBE 7/10
The Benfica playmaker came close to scoring twice in the game. One of Super Falcons’ top performers on the night.
JENNIFER ECHEGINI 5/10
An average showing from the new Paris Saint-Germain signing. She was replaced by Ifeoma Onumonu in the 67th minute.
NICOLE PAYNE 6/10
Fought hard as usual but didn’t affect the game much. The Everton winger was replaced by Uchenna Kanu in the 67th minute.
RASHEEDAT AJIBADE 8/10
The Atletico Madrid winger was Nigeria’s best player on the night . She was unlucky not to get a goal in the game.
CHIWENDU IHEZUO 4/10
Tested Brazil goalkeeper Lorena early in the game. She was largely anonymous afterwards.
SUBSTITUTES
ESTHER OKORONKWO 3/10
Took the place of Chiwendu Ihezuo after the break. She contributed little or nothing after her introduction.
IFEOMA ONUMONU 3/10
The forward didn’t affect the game much following her introduction.
UCHENNA KANU 3/10
Her introduction didn’t change the game in favour of Nigeria.
NICOLE PAYNE 4/10
Pushed forward after replacing Chidinma Okeke. Not a bad showing from the defender.
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Nigeria 0: Brazil 1: Retrospective Review and Ratings
After qualifying Nigeria for this Olympic Women’s Football tournament, Randy Waldrum took to the media to beseech the NFF for a rigorous planning regime comprising quality preparatory friendly matches. What did he get? One closed door low budget, low intensity, low profile, low grade friendly against admittedly a quality opposition in Canada way too close to the commencement of the tournament.
So, what did we get against Brazil in their opening match? A team that didn’t resemble a Randy Waldrum tutored side, looking disjointed and disorientated and ultimately falling to a 1:0 defeat. Already, it looks like an uphill climb to acquire a single point from this group, let alone make it out to the knock out stages.
In that game, the Super Falcons struggled to get into their rhythm as the Brazilians pressed with ferocity and intent. Nigeria were often hemmed in and forced to concede possession before getting to dangerous places. Our fullbacks were successfully overcome and overran which allowed crosses into the Nigerian box 18 with reckless abandon.
The Brazilians looked sharper overall with Rasheedat Ajibade proving to be the exception with darting runs, dangerous crosses and compelling dribbles which weren’t rewarded ultimately. The Super Falcons sat too deep in the first half which allowed Brazil open season to infiltrate Nigeria and dictate the tempo particularly in the first half.
Uncharacteristic for Waldrum’s Nigeria, they lost the midfield battle to Brazil. Ucheibe actually had a decent game with credible attacking forays and Abiodun tried to hold her own. But, ultimately, they provided inadequate support to the attack and were easily bypassed by Brazil to cause harm.
The fidelity of the formation fragmented severally as the Super Falcons couldn’t weave their movements to be in sync with the formation in a manner that would have allowed them set the agenda of the game. Apart from Ajibade, the team was predictable and the Brazilians would have the better of exchanges across the pitch severally.
On the debit side of the ledger, the Super Falcons were inarticulate and incoherent in their play with translated as disjointed football. It was not uplifting and it failed to neither grab my attention nor lock it in place for the duration. It was not poised, polished nor pristine. Coordination was lacking as evident in the 2 goals scored (one was chopped off). It featured doses of unfinished inter-play and an array of defensive foibles. All in all I think it was a night to forget for our girls.
On the credit side of the ledger, the Super Falcons gained in intensity and momentum following the substitutions. Ajibade proved herself to be a world class winger with deft movements and neat touches. The Super Falcons exuded grit and determination in not being humiliated by Brazil despite having an off-day as the slim score line showed. Some scoring chances were created and Nnadozie still came up with the goods in quality saves. The midfield, even though overwhelmed, still worked overtime to help keep the score line respectable against a quality opposition.
I now go to my player ratings.
1, Chiamaka Nnadozie: She brought her A game to the fore in producing a variety of neat and tidy saves. Her efforts (no doubt instructed by Waldrum who is smitten by Iheuzo’s qualities) to locate Iheuzo with long balls were often unsuccessful and indeed counter-productive as they often handed initiative back to Brazil. The rest of her distributions were competent and helpful. She captured the essence of a top-draw goalkeeper in producing high and low catches, compelling punches of the ball, dives, a one-handed save from close range and neat interceptions. The shot that evaded her for the goal was well struck and powerful. In fact, she was almost beaten again after being rooted to the spot as a freakish looping ball from the right wing only just grazed the bar. Her calmness under pressure was commendable as was her mien which inspired confidence and enhanced her appeal.
It was a performance that drew me in, carried me along and kept me hooked and thoroughly satisfied when she was with the ball. She was authoritative and never looked fazed. She was competent, compelling, composed and well collected and interacted masterfully with players around her with calmness and composure. (7/10)
2, Chidinma Okeke: She was sporadically successful in getting into attacking areas where her influence was forgetful at best and negligible at worst. Lack of awareness and low attention to positional details dogged her throughout this encounter which contributed to the only goal scored. Her department was breached severally as she came out loser in 1 on 1 duels which resulted in crosses into the Nigerian box 18. She was nutmegged onetime which drew surprised and shock from me. What she did well was to keep going and applying herself with grit and determination in some successful markings and simple but manageable distributions when on the ball. Although beaten in dribbles, she was never down and out as she tried to recover situations in a manner that produced excellent damage-limitations.
All in all, I wasn’t too enamoured with this performance. It failed to replicate her high standards and made her look average, second rate and unprepared for the occasion. It is a performance that will live long in my memory for all the wrong reasons in the number of times she was subdued and how eunuch she was in attack. I could not be invested in this diplay as it was flat, uninspiring, and unproductive. But her desire never to give up and keep going in pursuit of improvement is laudable as with the times she actually defended well which did happen. (5/10)
3, Tosin Demehin: Her interaction with fellow defenders wasn’t always as seamless as one has come to expect leading to a disjointed team shape that contributed to the goal conceded. She produced a powerful header from a corner kick routine which almost scored, only sailing slightly wide. S he tried to bring focus, concentration and defensive discipline to bear but it wasn’t always subtle or sumptuous. Rather, it was characterised by last ditch tackles and raw intensity that bothered on desperation just to clear the ball. That the score line remained respectful has to be partly attributed to her doggedness and determination. Overall, she didn’t bring enough to the table to offer leadership and help the team maintain tempo.
I was left numb and not too satisfied with this performance. It failed to translate to me as being commanding, composed or compelling. I wasn’t engaged when she was with the ball and it always seemed she wouldn’t make the right choice. Her support for attacking initiatives was negligible. I didn’t she carried the defence with gusto but she played her part in keeping the scores slim and she did try to inject urgency and composure when on the ball with neat passes and in her interactions which helped the team recover with some average tackles. (5/10).
4) Osinachi Ohale: I thought her primary responsibility was to keep her head when others around her were losing theirs but on this count, she came short. The sequence of events for the goal was rather shocking as the entire defence lost its shape, and when you have someone of a motherly nature as Ohale in the leader, it was truly disappointing. She did bring some defensive competence to play in her interceptions, recoveries and distributions. One tackle and subsequence pass to Nnadozie effortlessly caught the eye. She shielded the ball well and recovered a lot of situations that could have been more problematic. Her individual positioning is near impeccable but her ability to sync her movements with those of her team mates was suspect. That Nigerian identity of centre-backs like Ajayi, Ekong and Ebi launching long beautiful balls to the wingers or centre forwards was absent.
In all, I felt let down by her lack of leadership qualities on the pitch. I wasn’t too impressed by the way the goal came about. It was a performance that failed to draw me in and kept me yearning for more composure, calmness and quality. It was unmemorable, uneventful and unappealing. Again, what she did well in grit, determination and acceptable tackles, interceptions and distributions have to be acknowledged even if they failed to rise to the level of being considered exciting or enthralling. (5/10)
Ajibade is suppose to rated 9/10 not 8 or even 9 and half over 10
mokey pest keep yur stinking mouth out of this nigreains matters- where is yur life? do yuh ghanians have a life ? why is yur own life such a waste that yuh always entered into people who yuh hated so much there own life. it is very clear yuh have inferioir mentality and life and yuh will neva be as great in life as this nigreains – any of us ghanaians who have these great hatred for this innocent pipo will neva make it in this life – continue killing yoursel and brought doom and woe into youre own live. kwasia mokey yash lolz
5, Michelle Alozie: She produced some of the poorest throw-ins I have seen of her in Super Falcons colours as several just went to the Brazilians which called to question her concentration and throw in proficiencies. She captured the essence of he competent wingback when drafted to the left in the second half with purposeful forward movements and neatness in her retrievals, tackles and interceptions. On the right, she failed to prevent a number of crosses having being beaten for pace and passed through. She tried to walk the fine line between attack and defence competently but there was something missing as her deliveries didn’t always connect and her take-on attempts were lame. That said, there was a level of professionalism that was inescapable in her presentation as the Brazilians found her a tough customer in defence more so after she moved to the left.
It was a largely unremarkable performance for me. She didn’t get my pulse racing and failed to generate excitement for me. It would be too easy to criticise her but the level of professionalism her positioning and simple passes brought to bear was noticeable. I just felt short-changed by her inability to boss proceedings with more compelling drives and deliveries to dangerous areas. She did interact well with others around her but she was overwhelmed when swamped by the Brazilians and she failed to produce an overall performance that rose beyond average. (5/10)
6, Deborah Abiodun: She was successful in helping the team retain possession at times but was ultimately unable to juggle her attacking and defensive duties competently. Her calmness on the ball and ability to shrug off markers were in full display but still, these weren’t of enough quality to help Nigeria dictate tempo compellingly. She lost an aerial battle one time after a pass from Nnadozie which put Nigeria under pressure and almost led to a goal. Her distributions were short, neat but unimaginative and just flat.
Overall, I was neither here nor there with this performance. It kept me mildly engage but often disinterested as I had come to expect nothing overly special from her as the match wore on. I was neither flabbergasted nor flustered. I was neither elated nor excited. It was just a quotidian and par for the course performance. She did interact well enough with those around her and didn’t really commit a lot of errors. It is a performance she can be satisfied with as it was intense and vigorous in her determination not to lose grounds to Brazil and help Nigeria at least keep the score line respectable. (5.5/10)
7, Christie Ucheibe: To be honest, she was successful in launching 2 long range efforts that nearly scored. A crunching tackle close to the throwing line demonstrated her stone call defensive acumen and her willingness to support attacking initiative impressed. Her interaction with others was very commendable as she looked up for the job. Her pass to Iheuzo after retrieving the ball in the crunchy tackle alluded to was a tad too heavy.
I sort of have a soft spot for Ucheibe’s performance. Her efforts on goal got my pulse racing and made for a memorable, fabulous and rip-roaring moment. Her no-nonsense tackles and willing to do the dirty work in midfield left me compelled, gripped and thoroughly captivated. I looked forward to seeing her on the ball and she never failed to excite me with immeasurable gratification. She injected her performance with hunger, urgency, vibrancy and vigour. But her touches on the ball lacked magic, imagination, penetration and bite. For all the fascination I had for her performance – perhaps based on my bias on being a huge fan of hers – it was still a very average performance at best which failed to raise the profile of the midfield apparatus. (6/10).
8, Rasheedat Ajibade: How else can I say about this performance (particularly when she was on the left flank) that hasn’t already being said? Her runs were penetrative and dangerous with kept Brazilians on their toes. Her take-on abilities were top notch as she ran rings around the opposition. Her actual deliveries were a bit of hit-and-miss: one found Iheuzo who fluffed the chance at close range whilst others were either well defended or others just went awry. She won a number of god set pieces for the team and always carried the threat of winning a penalty. She tried to track back to support the defence but on one occasion she failed to prevent a cross that could have led to a goal. She had a fabulous shot at goal that raised the bar and caused excitement.
Needless to say I was thoroughly engaged, excited and enthralled by this performance. It effectively grabbed my attention and locked it in place whilst she was on the ball. She hit the ground running (literally) and didn’t look back until she reached the finish line of ecstasy, exhilaration and (maximum) viewing enjoyment. Her touches, runs and persistency generated fissions of excitements and elixirs of delight. She was purposeful, powerful and precise. I can’t rate her highly enough however her influence dissolve when she was moved to the middle. (7/10)
9, Jennifer Echegini: Her inability to boss proceedings, impose herself and dictate proceedings were glaring. She was anonymous for most parts and just seemed like a feather on the ball. She was not able to carry the midfield and she handled her responsibilities with kid gloves when a brute behemoth was needed. I saw her being dispossessed more than once and she looked lost and all over the place. She managed to dribble her opponent once only to shoot agonizingly wide.
I don’t want to come across as being overly negative about this performance but for me it was largely forgettable. She was not able to find her place in the game. She didn’t convince on the ball and looked out of place out of possession. I found this performance tasteless, colourless and mirthless. She was handed a part of the pitch in attacking areas that was pivotal to how the team would orchestrate attacks but she failed to deliver. To her credit, she never stopped trying to improve which eventually paid off as she saw more action as the match wore on. Then, she tried to keep it simple, pressed the opposition, deliver neat-simple passes and fortify her department. But it was insufficient, inadequate and inedible – too little too late. (4.5/10).
10) Toni Payne: A clever 1-2 corner kick routine led to a goal scoring chance. Some of her passes were well delivered but not always problematic for the opposition. I seem to recall her being dispossessed on some occasions. One shot from her wasn’t particularly handsome and she wasn’t much of a conduit – as you would expect – for outlets. She also failed to impose herself on the game but she got stuck in when the ball came to her in a manner that was manageable.
I was thoroughly disappointed. As a big game player, I felt this game passed Payne by. Even her sister left her mark on the game as a sub more than I can recall of Toni. I wasn’t excited, moved or marvelled by her touched. She came across to me as second best to the Brazilians in her field of comeback. She failed to draw me in or get my blood pumping. I will expect more from her against Spain.
11) Chiwendu Iheuzo: When Ajibade was on fire, Iheuzo failed to connect with crosses, even hitting a shot straight at the goalkeepers with spaces to aim at to her right or left in the net. She was isolated up front and failed to drop deep to collect the ball and orchestrate attacking initiatives. She seems off pace and ill-at-ease at times. She didn’t exude confidence or class. Her movements were well curtailed and her contributions not well baked.
I was left perplexed by the opportunity she wasted at close range. This performance didn’t lift my mood. Her translation of the centre forward play admittedly suffered from adequate service but she didn’t flip the script by not coming deep to collect the ball. Her shortcomings were in full display however she still did enough in her desire to remind the Brazilians not to afford her too much time and space. Overall it was unimaginative, blunted and banal. 4.5/10.
Final Part
Substitutions:
12) Uchenna Kanu: She was bullied and curtailed by Brazil. Her effectiveness and impact were underwhelming. She didn’t dazzle me and I have no huge praise or adulation other than to appreciate the urgency and hunger she brought to bear. 5/10
13) Ifeoma Onumonu: She really supported the integrity of the formation off the ball with her shielding, markings and defensive support. On the ball, she was well marshalled by Brazil which left me frustrated and perplexed. 5/10
14) Nicole Payne: Her performance oozed with confidence and finesse in how she drove forward with the ball, attempted deliveries and marshalled the bank. There was something I can’t really place my finger on or describe accurately which rose her performance towards a more high end, compelling and fabulous output. She looked well prepared and willing to press the issue. She grabbed my attention, carried me along and kept me hooked anytime she was on the ball with grace and poise. She had a commanding screen and pitch presence and she looked the part, making me fully invested in her outputs and application on the day. 6.5/10
Esther Okoronkwo: She huffed and puffed but struggled with the intensity of the Brazilians. She would either be bumped or dispossessed before she could do anything meaningful with the ball. The Brazilians successfully isolated her and she was unable to shrug them off successfully. Still positional discipline was commendable as she tried to get into decent areas. I didn’t really care for her performance because it wasn’t fully developed or fleshed out to fascinate me or keep me engage. 4.5/10