By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The high-profile international friendly match between Nigeria’s senior women’s football team, Super Falcons and Les Bleues of France slated for Saturday at the Stade Raymond Kopa (Angers) in western France promises to be a good pedestal for both countries to gauge their preparedness for future international engagements.
Also, the encounter is not only to prepare the Nigerian and French senior teams for their pending competitive engagements but also a very big opportunity for the interim head coach of Nigeria Justine Madugu and his assistants a mandatory observation of the level of development of the Super Falcons especially after their disastrous outing in the last Olympic Games in France earlier in the year.
The dust raised by the shambolic performance of the 11-time African champions in the Olympics where the team lost all three group matches culminated in the ouster of former head coach Randy Waldrum and the appointment last month of Madugu and his assistants, Ann Agumanu-Chiejine and Auwal Makwalla on the interim basis.
The three-man coaching crew which worked with the American Waldrum throughout his reign as Super Falcons coach have started their regime with two victories achieved only five weeks ago after winning two friendly matches played against Algeria’s Green Ladies in Nigeria. Super Falcons won 2-0 in Remo, Ogun state and 4-1 in the second match in Lagos three days later.
However, with the France versus Nigeria tie coming barely eight days after the Super Falcons learnt they would be playing the North African duo of Tunisia and Algeria and a South African nation, Botswana in the group phase at the 13th CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nation (WAFCON) in Morocco next year, the result of the match will help both teams’ handlers to know where they stand.
The match in Angers will make it four times France and Nigeria have met with two being in the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals. They have me thrice earlier with France winning the three matches and scoring all the 10 goals scored without Nigeria getting even a goal.
Both nations first clashed at the World Cup finals have been much closer, with the Falcons losing by a lone goal against the Les Bleues on June 26, 2011 courtesy of Arne Delie’s 56′ strike at Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Sinsheim, Germany in front of 25,475 fans in attendance, and by the same margin at the Roazhon Park, Rennes when both sides clashed in June 17, 2019 at the World Cup finals hosted by France.
But before the second meeting in the World Cup finals in 2019, Nigeria under former coach Thomas Dennerby who paraded a group of holidaying players were humiliated by France 8-0 on April 6, 2018 in a first-ever friendly encounter between the two countries.
This is why Saturday’s match will provide Nigeria another opportunity to exert some revenge on France while it will also be a litmus test for the interim manager (Madugu) who has stepped into the hot seat of the head coach of Super Falcons with the pressure that comes with it at a time Nigerian football followers want to see the Super Falcons return to the winning ways especially in the upcoming WAFCON in Morocco in 2025.
But it will be an uphill task for Madugu’s Super Falcons to beat Les Bleues on Saturday in Angers with the quality of players Laurent Bonadei, the current head coach of the France women’s national football team invited for a double-header international friendly matches against Nigeria tomorrow and Spain in three days time.
Bonadei who was appointed after Hervé Renard’s contract was terminated following France’s elimination from the 2024 Paris Olympics is using this the two games to test as many players as possible in order to select those who will be the mainstay of Les Bleues during his reign.
To achieve this, Bonadei invited no fewer than 30 players for the two international friendlies including the familiar faces like attackers Marie-Antoniette Katoto of Paris St. Germaine; Real Madrid CFF star Naomie Feller; Melvine Malard of Manchester City; Olympique Lynonnais’ Eugenie Le Sommer; Delphine Cascarino of San Diego Wave FC and Clara Meteo who plays with Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie in Paris FC.
Others in the France squad are midfielders Chelsea FC duo of Sandy Baltimore and Oriane Jean-Francois; Kenza Dali of Aston Villa; Sandie Toletti of Real Madrid and Amel Majri of Olympique Lynonnais.
Defenders are veteran Renard Wendi of Olympique Lynonnais; Estelle Cascarino of Juventus Ladies; Selma Bacha of Olympique Lynonnais and Paris Fc Lou Bogaert as well as four goalkeepers including Juventus Ladies’ Pauline Payraud-Magnin and Constance Picaud of FC Fleury.
Ranked 10th in the world, France was at the Olympics like Nigeria, although she lost to Canada 1-2; beat New Zealand 2-1 and bowed again to Brazil by a lone goal but recently played two friendly matches, beating Jamaica 3-0 and surprisingly lost to Switzerland 1-2.
France like Nigeria was at the last World Cup finals, the 5 time and had her best achievement of placing 4th in 2011. Has been to the Olympics thrice and also had a best achievement of placing 4th in 2012. France has made 8 appearances at the European Championship and got a podium finish with the Silver medal in 2022.
Ranked 10th in the world against Nigeria’s 36th place, France has an edge over the Africans going into the game just as this makes the match more interesting because football is like a piece of biscuit which can break into many pieces with a bite although France recently played two friendly matches, beating Jamaica 3-0 and surprisingly lost to Switzerland 1-2.
Again, France has more pedigree in world football than Nigeria as the country has been to only five FIFA Women’s World Cup finals with her best achievement being the 4th place finish in 2011. Has also been to the Olympics thrice with the best achievement being 4th place finish in 2012.
France has made eight appearances at the UEFA Women’s Championship and got a podium finish with the Silver medal in 2022.
In contrast, Nigeria has made nine appearances at the World Cup but her best performance was a quarter-final finish in the 3rd FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1999 in United States of America while she has been to the Olympic Games four times with her best also being a quarter-final finish in Athens Olympics in 2004.
The Super Falcons did not qualify for the Olympics again until the last in Paris, France but the results were too poor as Nigeria lost to Brazil by a lone goal; lost to Spain by the same margin and beaten 3- by Nadeshiko of Japan to crash out in the group stage.
The outcome of this disastrous outing coupled with the fact that Nigeria failed woefully in the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco were enough alibi for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to take a critical decision to part ways with former coach Waldrum and the appointment of coach Madugu as the interim manager with a clear mandate to rebuild the Super Falcons with an admixture of home-grown players and foreign-based professionals.
This accounts to why the Adamawa-born tactician who served his apprenticeship under Waldrum and his predecessor Thomas Dennerby in 2018 when Nigeria lifted her last WAFCON trophy in Ghana, has gone to work and has prosecuted two international friendlies successfully against fellow Africans Algeria with the bulk of Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) players with a sprinkle of overseas-based players.
Although Madugu’s experiment with domestic league players in the two games against Algeria recently gave him resounding results by beating the North Africans 2-0 at Remo Stars Stadium, Ogun state on October 25 and winning gleefully 4-1 in Lagos three days later, he has made a U-turn by inviting 85% foreign-based professionals for the match against France in Angers tomorrow.
The “new Sherrif in town” has gone back to the same players Waldrum used to prosecute his matches for the four years he was incharge including goalkeeper Chiamaka Cynthia Nnadozie; defenders Osinachi Mavis Ohale and Ashleigh Plumptre; midfielders Christy Aturuchi Ucheibe and Jennifer Onyii Echegini, and forwards Gift Monday and Rinsola Babajide.
Madugu also gave reasons for the absence of reigning CAF Best Player of the Year (Women’s) and Bay FC star Asisat Oshoala, interim captain Rasheedat Ajibade and Halimatu Ayinde who he said have documentation problems, injuries and bereavement issues respectively hence they were not invited for the France trip.
He has also promised to recall some old faces he believes can add value to his new squad while looking forward to discovering fresh legs going forward.
Perhaps, the match against star-studded French Ladies has presented Madugu the rare opportunity to put his coaching ability to test as the result of the game in Angers on Saturday will be used by his employers as a yardstick to either confirm as the head coach of Super Falcons or return him as an assistant to whosoever the federation believes will lead the team in a permanent role.
Interestingly, European nations have been albatross for Nigeria by bashing the Super Falcons left, right and center with the likes of France, Norway and Germany thrashing Nigeria 8-0 at one time or another.
For example, Norway battered Nigeria 8-0 in Kalstard, Sweden on June 6, 1995 in a World Cup group stage; Germany did same by same goals margin on November 25, 2010 and then France hammered Nigeria 8-0 in a friendly tie on April 6, 2018 at Le Mans in a very freezing weather before losing 1-0 to Les Bleues again in 2019 in World Cup group match in Rennes.
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Nigerians are hoping that the match in Angers will offer the Super Falcons another chance to improve their records against the French Ladies and the European oppositions if they can grind out a win or draw against Les Bleues tomorrow, although it will be a tall order to stop French fierce attackers Marie-Antoniette Katoto, Naomie Feller; Melvine Malard, Delphine Cascarino, Clara Meteo and ageless Eugenie Le Sommer from scoring against Chiamaka Nnadozie of Paris FC.
It will be the biggest surprise of the year if Nigeria defeats France in Angers as Madugu and his wards can only hope that the final scoreline reflect their efforts in the game.
SUPER FALCONS FOR LES BLEUES CHALLENGE:
Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Anderline Mgbechi (Rivers Angels); Rachael Unachukwu (Nasarawa Amazons).
Defenders: Osinachi Ohale (Pachucha Club de Futbol, Mexico); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Ashleigh Plumptre (Ittihad Ladies, Saudi Arabia); Rofiat Imuran (London City Lioness, England); Sikiratu Isah (Nasarawa Amazons); Oluwatosin Demehin (Galatasaray Sportive, Turkey).
Midfielders: Jennifer Echegini (Paris Saint Germain, France); Toni Payne (Everton Ladies, England); Josephine Mathias (Nasarawa Amazons); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Shukurat Oladipo (FC Robo Queens); Adoo Yina (Nasarawa Amazons).
Forwards: Blessing Nkor (Pyramids FC, Egypt); Gift Monday (Coasta Adeje Tenerife Egatesa (Spain); Ifeoma Onumonu (Montpellier FC, France); Omorinsola Babajide (Coasta Adeje Tenerife Egatesa (Spain); Mercy Omokwo (Bayelsa Queens).
