Fresh from a two-match friendly duel with the Green Ladies of Algeria in Nigeria, nine-time African champions Super Falcons are billed to play the Senior Women National Team of France, Les Bleues a high-profile friendly in Angers on Saturday, 30th November 2024.
The Super Falcons lashed the Green Ladies 2-0 and 4-1 in games played in Ikenne-Remo and Lagos respectively, with a good number of home-based professionals showing great promise in the squad coached by Justine Madugu.
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This month’s encounter with the Les Bleues will take place at the Stade Raymond Kopa in the city of Angers, with kick-off set for 9.30pm France time.
While the Bleues are happy to take the game as part of their preparations for the League of Nations in the spring and the 2025 UEFA Euro Women Championship in Switzerland in the summer, the Falcons will welcome the encounter as part of the process for blooding a new squad, as well as another test ahead of the 2025 Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next summer.
It is only the seventh time in their history that the Les Bleues will play in the city of Angers.
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This will be the real rest for Madugu, not Algeria.
As much as some vilify Waldrum, he’s never experienced a scandalous loss. It’s always a respectable 1-0 or 2-1 to powerhouses like Spain, Japan, USA, and Brazil.
@Kel, I don’t blame you for blanking out the 0-4 trashing by the USA during Randy’s record-making SEVEN CONSECUTIVE LOSSES…LOL!
It’s not like we’ve ever beaten France under ANY COACH, but reasonably sure that if we lose it won’t be as “scandalous” (to use your phrase) as the 0-8 shellacking France handed down to us under Tom Dennerby.
“Blooding a new squad”? Really? What happened to the team we know?
Alright Randy Waldrum resigned to take care of his sick wife, does that mean we have to do away with his already established team? That will be a very stupid decision if the NFF is behind this.
NFF, please get a coach to take the Super Falcons to the next level.
I was impressed by the stadia at Ikenne Remo and Lagos. The NPFL stadia have also been improved of late. Looks like there’s been a concerted effort to improve pitch quality in stadia around the country.
Magudu should use only the best of the best against France. Player location is irrelevant. Ijamilusi for example may have earned a spot ahead of Agba baller, Onumonu and other strikers. In the middke, Ucheibe, Ayinde and Abiodun are still the best we have. In defence, Ohale is still very much needed.
Just invite the best in all departments, and we should be fine.
Co-sign…
I’m sure he’ll invite the “best” (however one determines that) – including some home-based players!
Nigerian football had a HEADMASTER in times past. The name Mutiu Adepoju comes to mind.
Looks like a HEADMISTRESS is gradually emerging in Gift Monday.
Apart from the clinical header she scored against Algeria last week, she’s reportedly been grabbing headed goals for her club as well.
Long may it continue.
Finally, NFF had sense by utilizing the 3 friendly windows out of 6 for falcons. It shocked me. Now France is a very worthy opponent after being exposed to quality oppositions over the past months
No be Algeria who are 50 places below us. Haba.
Can Portugal arrange a friendly with San Marino? The rest of the continent are catching up with us so we should always be steps ahead.
I will keep my fingers crossed until the squad list for the final friendly of the year is unveiled.
I don’t want to think that NFF wants to dump the foreign born pros for “sticking” with Waldrum “against them” during the world cup brouhaha because the new coach will not have the mettle to say losing to Spain, Japan and Brazil at last olympics is “below par”.
That was crassly crude and unintelligent. And he was even among the technical crew. So, was it a sabotage?
Release team list first. If na home based, I know finally progress is officially in reverse gear. Zambia, SA and Ghana, oh Cameroon are rivals not going away. Did I forget Morocco who have employed experienced coach too?
No other nation in the continent is playing again with development. After all, FIFA and CAF grants come to all nations equally. If we choose balkanization, it’s not anybody’s fault. If we joke with progress, it’s not hard to be also-rans. In fact, someone once wrote here only one team can be champion but there’s a reason why Man City, or Sundowns are perennial champions – constant tactical evolution.
Fingers crossed.
@Sly, you mean like #1 USA playing #50 South Africa?! LMAO…
The games against Algeria served its purposes- using a relatively comfortable game to evaluate home-based prospects and give someone like Onyenezide much-needed (and much-deserved) extensive game time.
The upcoming friendly against France will finally give us a real look at Coach Justin Madugu and what he’s made of. Beating Liberia, Algeria, and Ethiopia is all well and good, but let’s be real—those teams aren’t exactly the who’s who of world football. People are already acting like he’s the next big thing, but until he goes toe-to-toe with a powerhouse like France, we’re still in the “wait-and-see” mode.
And let’s not forget the groundwork that Randy Waldrum laid down for the Super Falcons. The man took over a team that had more holes than a colander, especially at the back, and finally gave Nigeria some solid defensive footing. Under Waldrum’s reign, the team was transformed from one prone to embarrassing scorelines into a well-organized unit that could stand their ground against the big names. Case in point: remember that stellar performance at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand? That wasn’t luck; that was strategy. Nigeria avoided those cringe-worthy defeats that used to haunt us in past tournaments, where teams like Germany would walk over us like a Sunday stroll. Waldrum proved that we could stand up to world powers with discipline, focus, and a tight defensive line.
Now, if Madugu can pull off even a respectable performance against France, then, yes, he’s earned my respect. I like what I’ve seen so far—he’s not afraid to bring in fresh talent, especially from our local league, which is long overdue. Watching home-based players step up has been exciting; these girls are hungry, and you can see it in their hustle on the pitch. But let’s hope he doesn’t get carried away. Just because we’ve got a few new faces doesn’t mean it’s time to toss out the veterans. Someone like Asisat Oshoala is irreplaceable for a reason. Her experience, skill, and the leadership she brings are priceless. You don’t just sideline a player like that because of a new talent surge—mix the old with the new and build a well-rounded squad.
So, Coach Madugu, all eyes are on you. The French game is the proving ground, and if you can get through it with a solid performance, we’re ready to back you. But for now, let’s pump the brakes on the hype train, stay realistic, and enjoy the show.
@Papafem, abegi who exactly have been acting as if Justin Madugu is “the next big thing”? Virtually everyone are well aware of the fact that the dude is merely an INTERIM coach – until a substantive (obviously foreign) coach is appointed – but that doesn’t (or shouldn’t, unless for folks suffering from an inferiority complex) folks recognizing and/or appreciating him and his team for doing well.
You play the TEAM in front of you! Only on discussion forums do armchair “coaches” (a wag once correctly noted that the only ‘coaches’ who never lose are those with their bums firmly planted on the couch) “play” against all manner of opposition. Nonetheless, it’s interesting that some folks are virtually demonizing Madugu for TROUNCING teams that we should be expected to beat, but some of those same folks are e virtually canonizing Waldrum for LOSING to teams that we would ordinarily be expected to lose to (and sadly in the Olympics without as much as a whimper).
And abegi, enough of the myths and tales by moonlight! The Super Falcons have never (apart from the out-there 0-8 shellacking inflicted on Tom Dennerby’s Super Falcons) lost by a 4-goal margin (and in fact has not conceded 4 goals against any opposition) in probably OVER 20 years, like we did with the 0-4 trouncing against the USA under Waldrum – admidst the RECORD-MAKING SEVEN CONSECUTIVE LOSSES – a first-ever for the Super Falcons! Abegi, let’s not color (no pun intended) facts to suit the passport of the coach.
BTW, the Algeria games were SPECIFICALLY organized to evaluate mostly home-based prospects (which I personally thought was a dodgy proposition given that the domestic league has been on hiatus since the end of last season), as the NFF chair expressly stated this when the games were being arranged.
No one is getting rid of Oshoala and most of the foreign-based players. Foreign-based players will continue to DOMINATE the main Super Falcons’ squad but expanding the pool of available players and prospects. Even the USA, fresh off winning the Olympics, promptly capped 6 new players vs Iceland!
Local coaches tend to have a devil-may-care attitude. They still hold on to this 1990 romanticism of Nigerian being a force, not only in Africa, but in world football.
So, they tend to unleash the Super Falcons like a pack of Alsatian dogs to devour all comers regardless of the pedigree of the opposition.
Justin Madugu is no exception.
So, I am so looking forward to this encounter against France.
I don’t mean to take a swipe at foreign coaches but they can be overly cautious. In their eyes, Nigerian players are not as technical and the administrative infrastructure of the NFF is not robust enough to allow the Super Falcons play open, expansive and free-flowing brand of football.
Which is why I think a large body of fans welcome the approach of indigenous coaches who are unencumbered with such thoughts and feel the Super Falcons players have the technical nous to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world. I have my doubts but a part of me does embrace this line of thinking which was why I had hoped and prayed that Finidi George would have – against all odds – succeeded with the Super Eagles. I still sort of harbour vicarious regrets for him.
Football has evolved from the practical to the technical. Our indigenous coaches are too practical and (in my view) our players – home or foreign based, indigenous or dual nationality – collectively are not as technical as we would like them. And the NFF’s management of our football is not gold standard which to me support the cautious approach of foreign coaches. I appreciate this is not a popular view but it was not stated to court popular acceptance – I am just stating my mind.
So, whilst I see the thinking guiding the approach of foreign coaches, I also tend to welcome the free-thinking approach of local coaches which is always a breath of fresh air to me.
I felt some players had their developments stalled under Waldrum – again, this is not me throwing Waldrum under the bus, I still very much hold him in high esteem and believe he did a fabulous job, by and large, with the Super Falcons. But players were often played out of position under him and other players who weren’t fan favorites played too many games ahead of the likes of Gift Monday. Also, the bulk of the class of 2022 Flamingos and Falconets failed to experience speedy Super Falcons breakthrough under the American. If Deborah Abiodun (the least exciting) of that class could become a World Cup megastar at the first time of asking, it stands to reason that very many of those other players were allowed to wither on the vine of exclusion.
Madugu now has the platform to excel, starting with his first major test. Let’s see how “our own” will fair with an exciting collection of home and foreign based players to pick from.
CORRECTION:
Deborah Abiodun (the least exciting, least talented and least explosive) of that class could become a World Cup megastar at the first time of asking, it stands to reason that very many of those other balls-to-the-wall, supremely talented and gifted players were allowed to wither on the vine of exclusion and left out in the cold.