FALCONS VOW TO FEAST ON LIONESSES
'Cameroon has never beaten Nigeria. At the last Africa Women's Championship (AWC), we beat them 5-1. They have never been a threat to us and this will not be an exception.'
The above statement was how Coach Eucharia Uche summed up the readiness of the Super Falcons to feast on the Lionesses of Cameroon this afternoon when both sides clash inside the main bowl of the magnificent Abuja National Stadium in the first leg of the crucial last qualifying fixtures for next year's Olympics in London.
Uche's confidence got a massive boost with the full compliments of the invited foreign-based players for the all-important match, most of who have vowed that the Cameroon's Lionesses would bite the dust today, as it has been the case in the previous meetings involving both sides.
Assistant Coach, Bala Nikyu, shared the same optimism with his boss, revealing that the foreign-based players were in the form of their lives to crush the Lionesses.
'As far as I'm concerned, they (foreign-based players) are in good shape. I'm happy for their level of fitness and I do not entertain any doubt that victory against the Lionesses of Cameroon is sure,' he said.
The Nigerian girls have vowed to beat their Cameroon counterparts to qualify for next year's Olympics to make up for the All Africa Games' ticket they loss to Ghana's Black Queens and the not-too-impressive outing at the last World Cup in Germany.
'I know that Nigerians were disappointed with our performance at the World Cup in Germany. We shall beat Cameroon to qualify for the Olympics to make up for the World Cup disappointment,' striker Desire Ugochi Oparanozie assured.
'People said I played well at the World Cup, but I promise to play better on Saturday (today) so that we will beat Cameroon to qualify for next year's Olympics. Nothing will stop us from winning on Saturday,' defender Faith Ikidi promised ahead of today's match.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles' Coach, Samson Siasia and Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barr Chris Green, have tasked the Super Falcons to beat the Lionesses with a massive score line to make the return leg in Cameroon in a fortnight a mere formality.
'You girls know what I want; goals. We have to beat Cameroon very well without conceding any goal on home soil, here,' Barr Green ordered the girls when he visited them alongside Siasia at the training ground early in the week.
'I'm impressed with what I saw, but you must score up to five goals to be in a comfortable position for the second leg,' Siasia added.
The retinue of foreign-based players expected to ensure victory for Nigeria today include reigning Africa Women Footballer of the Year, Perpetua Nkwocha, who plies her club football in China, the Sweden-based duo of Faith Ikidi and Rita Chikwelu, Onome Ebi (Turkey), Helen Ukaonu and Emueje of FC Energy of Moscow, Russia.
The winner between the Super Falcons and the Lionesses after the two-legged tie will qualify for the women's football event at next year's Olympics in London.