Staff Writer
After the team’s 8-1 thrashing of the Queensland Lions in Australia on Saturday morning in a pre-Women’s World Cup friendly, upper Falcons forward Toni Payne was giddy, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Payne, who scored in the friendly, stated that the Falcons were prepared to battle the teams in Group B.
Nigeria will have a difficult time getting past the group stage because they are matched with the Olympic winners Canada, the co-hosts Australia, and the Republic of Ireland.
“As a team, I thought we played well. Our goal is to develop and refine our system with each game and practice, and I believe we succeeded in that today (Saturday).” We are getting better and more ready for our first game versus Canada, Payne remarked.
“We have a lot of faith. We are prepared to compete because the players we have here put us on par with Australia.
Asisat Oshoala, a top forward for Barcelona Femeni, scored twice for Nigeria in the 8-1 thrashing.
Since establishing camp in Gold Coast, Australia in preparation for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, it was the Falcons’ first friendly match.
From the very beginning of the game, the Falcons controlled it and pinned their opponents to the ground.
The additional goals for Randy Waldrum’s team came from Ifeoma Onumonu, Halimat Ayinde, Rasheedat Ajibade, Uchenna Kanu, and Gift Monday.
Prior to the thrashing of the Queensland Lions, the Falcons had not played a friendly match, and happy supporters praised the team on social media after the decisive victory.
The team of Waldrum will now concentrate on their World Cup opener on Friday against the Olympic champions, Canada.
Australia, the co-hosts and opponents in the group, defeated France, one of the top teams in Europe, 1-0.
