₦airaland Forum

Phew! That is the longest post I've made in a long while.

By the way, no be must say coach must make changes.

If the players on the pitch are doing the job and not at the risk of copping injuries or being sent off then, make dem play full 90mins.

3 Observations From Nigeria Vs Sweden Match

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Sweden and Nigeria opened play in Group D on Monday, and combined to deliver a 3-3 draw in a wild encounter at the Winnipeg Stadium.

Sweden broke on top through a pair of set piece goals, and was up 2-0 at halftime. But the pace of Nigeria's forwards proved a danger throughout, and two goals three minutes apart from Ngozi Okobi and Asisat Oshoala briefly brought the Super Falcons level.

Substitute Linda Sembrant put Sweden back on top in the 60th minute, but Nigeria had the last word, with Okobi setting up Francisca Ordega to fire home in the 87th minute, giving the Super Falcons a deserved draw.

1. Oshoala lives up to hype, but Okobi steals show
Oshoala came into the tournament highly regarded after first impressing at the 2014 U20 Women's World Cup, and later with the Super Falcons at the 2014 Africa Women's Championship. Monday, Oshoala largely lived up to the hype, and was a consistent threat along with fellow forward Desire Oparanozie.

But while Oshoala threatened repeatedly in the first half, the final touch proved elusive. She picked the pocket of Sweden left back Lina Nilsson in the 18th minute and embarked on a long run only to see her shot go narrowly wide. Oshoala also was unable to make the final pass count as she failed to deliver in the final third.

Okobi continually pushed up to join the attack to help Oshoala and Oparanozie get Nigeria back in the game. Okobi scored in the 49th minute, beating Fischer on the turn after being set up by Oparanozie. Okobi then released Oshoala on a clear breakaway three minutes later and the Nigerian forward finally provided the finish she was looking for to level the score.

After Sweden reclaimed the lead through Sembrant, it looked like Nigeria's effort would fall just short, especially after Oshoala couldn't redirect an attempted clearance from Emma Berglund on goal. But Nigeria got the equalizer it so richly deserved, and it was Okobi once again at the heart of things. Okobi released Ordega on a breakaway and she slotted home her shot to bring Nigeria level once again.

How unlikely was Nigeria's comeback? There were more goals in this game for the Super Falcons than their previous nine Women's World Cup games combined. Nigeria is also the fifth team to get at least at point after trailing by two goals in a WWC game.

That said, Nigeria had some history on its side. Back in 2007, Nigeria equalized in the 82nd minute in a 1-1 draw to Sweden in the group stage.

2. Midfield worries for Sweden, even as subs come through
At halftime Sweden looked to be cruising. An own goal from Oparanozie and a close-range finish from Nilla Fischer put the Swedes up 2-0, and while Nigeria looked threatening, Sweden looked to be managing okay. But Sweden's midfield seemed to wilt after halftime, making some highly suspect decisions with the ball, and that helped Nigeria get back into the game.

That Sweden would manage the game so poorly was stunning given the depth of experience it has. But this Sweden side isn't terribly mobile, and the other teams in Group D -- the United States and Australia, which both possess a lot of speed -- will no doubt take note.

When Sweden manager Pia Sundhage brought on Sembrant in the 57th minute, it seemed a case of waiting too long to make a substitution. But Sembrant came through, redirecting a short pass from Nilsson to put the Swedes back on top. Sembrant's goal was no Rembrandt, putting the cross in off her thigh, but it got the job done just the same.

But Sweden couldn't hang on, with an injury to center back Berglund after a courageous goal line clearance hurting the Swedish cause.

And concerns spread to the back line, too. Despite scoring Sweden's second goal, Fischer had a sub-par performance and played a part in all three of Nigeria's goals.

The draw complicates matters somewhat for Sweden, though it should still progress to the second round. But an emotional match against the United States looms, as Sundhage is set to face a U.S. team that she coached for seven years, a period that saw her lead the Americans to two Olympic gold medals and a runner-up finish at the 2011 World Cup. Sundhage has largely stayed away from comparisons about her former team, but the topic will no doubt come up in the days ahead.

3. Where would Nigeria be if it had better goalkeeping?
The aerial ability of the game's two goalkeepers was evident from the outset. Sweden's Hedvig Lindahl was secure in her handling and judgment of crosses, and completely dominated her area. At the other end, Nigeria counterpart Precious Dede showed her vulnerability whenever the ball was in the air.

The first warning sign for Dede came in the 14th minute when she didn't come close to claiming a cross. The resulting shot was looped wide, but Sweden took note, looking to create traffic in front of Dede on every attacking set piece opportunity. That approach ended up paying off in the 20th minute. Dede seemed hell-bent on coming out for Therese Sjogran's corner, failed to make any contact with the ball, and could only watch as Fischer's header deflected off Oparanozie for an own goal.

Nigeria's misery was compounded 11 minutes later on yet another set piece. Another Sjogran corner was headed toward goal but cleared off the line by Ngozi Ebere. The ball was fired back in by Sweden's Lisa Dahlkvist, and Fischer got the final touch from closer range to make it 2-0.

On a day when Nigeria was dynamic in attack, the play of Dede proved costly

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/2015worldcup/article/13038689/three-observations-nigeria-earns-well-deserved-draw-sweden

^^
@ semid4lyfe: I don't think Whyte is better than Dede. Whyte has the same problems with Dede - vulnerability at crosses. Whyte also fumbles a lot of straight shots.
But I agree that deploying Ohale at RB was a terrible decision. She's better at centre back. Also, Dike and Umotong could come on in the 2nd half on Friday.

I've seen Australia boss the midfield against the US, so I expect Okon to field 3 central midfielders on Friday.

Cameroon v Ecuador

Attempts on goal: 18-7
Attempts on target: 9-2

The Lionesses are bossing that game!

Cameroon now 4 goals up. Ecuador 1 (wo)man down as their Captain was shown a red.

D-ope performance for debutants

Cameroon 5-0 Ecuador

Cameroon 5-0 Ecuador. Somebody make it stop, please!

It's USA 2-1 Australia

Hehe. Cameroon 6-0 Ecuador

Enganamoiut becomes the first African player to score a hatrick at a senior men's or women's world cup.

Best goal celebration ever

https://twitter.com/Soccerpolitics/status/608019128331280384?s=09

Wow! Thanks Sir... You've said it all. I guess I just didn't hv d guts to be dis blunt but u're spot on. Courtney is really good but compared to our 1st choice front 3? Well uhm... We all knw rite? But still I expect to see her impact...
Umotong plays 4 portsmouth ladies in d english women premier league(wpl 1) northern (or southern) conference. That's 2 divisions below the english women super league 1(wsl 1) where Oshoala stars 4 english champs, liverpool lfc. After wsl1 is d wsl2. Then u hv d wpl1 and wpl2. Taking nothing 4m umotong(she bagged ova 20gls b4 joining camp 4 d fifa wwc) but she's still a learner compared to
Courtney not to mention our top 3.

But all in all, it's a great team with players dat can and will get better coz they're all young save 4 Nkwocha, Dede, Ebi, and Nwabuoku.
And u're rite abt Ohale, she's indeed a center back.
Whyte is obviously our best gk but I wanna beliv dede's height and experience(yep, I know... Dis can be overrated sumtyms) gave her the starting spot. Anyway, I beliv Whyte wud get to feature soon, maybe vs U.S.A.
Nice analysis Sir. Welcome to the house.

semid4lyfe:
Courtney Dike & Ini Umutong are not as good as you guys hype them. Esther Sunday & Loveth Ayila would have spoiled the game with unnecessary showboating, poor decision making and bad final balls.

Our forward trio of Ordega, Oparanozie and Oshaola best them in all depts. . .skill, ball control, speed, positional play, goal scoring ability etc

Bringing any of the aforementioned players in would have impacted the balance, rhythm and pace of our game negatively as our attack would have been blunted.The trio of Ayinde, Okobi and Nwabuoku did very well and completely bossed the midfield.

The only thing Okon got wrong was not playing Ugo Njoku and Ibubeleye Whyte at right back and goal respectively. Osinachi Ohale is a central defender and not a wing back. Ugo Njoku is a natural and better fit for that position.

Ibubeleye Whyte was in goal for the AWC, Olympic Qualifiers & was clearly the first choice heading into this competition so I'm wondering how Precious Dede leaped frogged her to be first choice. P. Dede is clearly past her prime and doesn't control her goal area. She is also jittery and has problems dealing with crosses. This is clearly one of the cases where experience is overrated.

I hope Coach Okon effects these 2 changes to the starting line-up for our games against Australia & the US.

4 best 3rd placed teams qualify to the knockout stages. If we nick Australia, we should be able to make it.

Up Super Falcons! Proudly Nigerian!

FT: Cameroon 6-0 Ecuador.

One loss, one draw and a win for Africa so far. Not bad

TheSuperNerd:
Wow! Thanks Sir... You've said it all. I guess I just didn't hv d guts to be dis blunt but u're spot on. Courtney is really good but compared to our 1st choice front 3? Well uhm... We all knw rite? But still I expect to see her impact...
Umotong plays 4 portsmouth ladies in d english women premier league(wpl 1) northern (or southern) conference. That's 2 divisions below the english women super league 1(wsl 1) where Oshoala stars 4 english champs, liverpool lfc. After wsl1 is d wsl2. Then u hv d wpl1 and wpl2. Taking nothing 4m umotong(she bagged ova 20gls b4 joining camp 4 d fifa wwc) but she's still a learner compared to
Courtney not to mention our top 3.

But all in all, it's a great team with players dat can and will get better coz they're all young save 4 Nkwocha, Dede, Ebi, and Nwabuoku.
And u're rite abt Ohale, she's indeed a center back.
Whyte is obviously our best gk but I wanna beliv dede's height and experience(yep, I know... Dis can be overrated sumtyms) gave her the starting spot. Anyway, I beliv Whyte wud get to feature soon, maybe vs U.S.A.
Nice analysis Sir. Welcome to the house.

Lol, u dey welcome me. Na me get here nah

CFCfan and other oldies like FBS and Honeric01 can attest to this.

Thanks for the warm welcome

USA 3-1 Australia.

Less than 10 minutes left. Megan Rapinoe with a brace

FT: USA 3-1 Australia.

Nigeria and Cameroon both score 3 or more goals for an African side for the first time since 1999.

Nigeria scored more goals yesterday than they managed to do in their previous 9 WWC matches combined.

Nigeria scored in her opening match for the first time since their 1-1 draw with Sweden in 1999.

Delta Queens will have a hard time holding onto Ngozi Okobi. I can bet that American and/or European clubs will be scrambling for her signature after this tournament.

FT: Japan 1-0 Switzerland

This means that Cameroon have made history as the first African team to lead a WWC group at any stage.

Group C standings
Cam 3pts +6
Japan 3pts +1
Sui. 0 -1
Ecuador 0. -6

CFCfan:
FT: Japan 1-0 Switzerland

This means that Cameroon have made history as the first African team to lead a WWC group at any stage.

Group C standings
Cam 3pts +6
Japan 3pts +1
Sui. 0 -1
Ecuador 0. -6

Cameroon group is really easy.
I know Japan is one of the best in women worldcup and are defending champion.

How good is Switzerland team?.

I think Nigeria can be play draw or beat USA if they can replicate their performance and more.
Africans are becoming a powerhorse.

The super falcons played a very nice game with strength,skills and stamina all throughout the matchs but if will have to move out to the round of 16 the coach need to step-up.questions i need to ask is the keepers the best we have in the teams?

TheSuperNerd:
I've already said Goodnite but let me just drop this...

It's true Ohale wasn't at her best in d 1st 45. So dat makes her the obvious choice 4 substitution rite?
Njoku is a gr8 right back but did u notice Ohale grew into da game esp in da 2nd? It's true she gave away 2 corner kicks dat led to goals BUT was she the one who got d own goal? Was she the only one ball-watching as the 2nd went in? THE WHOLE TEAM(ESP THE DEFENCE) TAKES THE BLAME FOR THOSE GOALS NOT OHALE ALONE. This is a team. Together we strive. Together we lose. Together we fight. Together we win. Ohale stepped up in da 2nd half.

Like I mentioned Earlier in anoda post on this page, I was seriously hoping Okon brought on Courtney 4 maybe an Oparanozie... BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! (honestly, OKON IS LIKE U SAID, REALLY TECHNICALLY DEFICIENT AND LACKING IN COURAGE TO TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS). What did I do? I kept my cool and believed we cud go on and equalize or even win coz Oparanozie, though obviously tired, was doing a gr8 job of holding up play upfront, making intelligent off-the-ball runs and playing her team mates(Okobi, d amf and Ordega) into attacking channels either directly or indirectly... One of those resulted in dat near miss by Okobi and Oshoala & then dat fine 3rd goal by Ordega wit Okobi d assist provider(watch Oparanozie's off-da-ball positioning and movement. She's a threat thus swedish players must be drawn to her and Oshoala). Oshoala, meanwhile, was everywhere across d attack and in midfield a couple of times.
All da same... One or at most 2 changes wud hv been made(WITH NO GUARANTEES... coz it's all down to 'What ifs') BUT LIKE I SAID... I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT AS FAR AS THE GAME WIT THE SWEDES WAS CONCERNED, THE 11 PLAYERS THAT STARTED HAD IT GOING TILL THE END...
Sometimes, u lose games 4m d bench or influence a game negatively wit just one 'innocent' change.

NOW THIS DOES NOT REFER TO OKON but I believe the ffwg statement...
A good coach knows what substitution to make. A better coach knows when to make such substitutions. But the best coach knows when not to make a substitution.......
GOD BLESS NIGERIA. It was Fun reviewing the game wit u guys(SIRS DODOBYTES AND BASCO VAN VELI, and not 4getting Sir Emmzyst). I beliv we get to hear 4m our ogas, Sir Cfcfan and Sir terzurum5... GOOD MORNING Y'ALL... Lukin 4ward to the next game with positive expectations.

GO GO GO AWESOME SUPER FALCONS! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Good observation/ analysis there.
Came back from work very late and managed to watch the match live but then to post updates became a challenge as the network made thing worser.
The overall performance of our girls was not too poor, looking at how they responded to the match coupled with their not too impressive preparation before the tournament began. On paper, it looked almost impossible for our girls to match the Swedes, but their performance showed that SF would have even won the match if most of the errors noticed had been corrected. I see us presenting a more improved showing in our next match.
#TeamSF#

Women's World Cup: Cameroon Overpower Fellow Debutants Ecuador.
Gaelle Enganamouit scored a hat-trick as Cameroon belied their lowly world ranking of 53rd with a commanding 6-0 victory over fellow Women’s World Cup debutants Ecuador in their Group C opener in Vancouver on Monday.
Les Lionnes, who qualified for the World Cup by finishing as runners-up at last year’s African Women’s Championship, took advantage of several defensive lapses by Ecuador with a three-goal burst in 11 minutes during the first half.
Madelaine Ngono Mani pounced on a rebound to score the opening goal in the 34th minute before fellow forward Enganamouit made it 2-0 just two minutes later with a right-footed blast.
The speedy Cameroon forwards dominated up front and Christine Manie struck from the penalty spot in the 44th minute after sending Ecuador goalkeeper Shirley Berruz the wrong way, burying the ball low to the left with a thunderous shot.
Ecuador were reduced to 10 players when defender Ligia Moreira was red carded in the 66th minute and Enganamouit took advantage seven minutes later when she found the back of the net from close range.
Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene, who orchestrated many of Cameroon’s attacking moves in her 50th international match, scored from the penalty spot in the 79th minute before Enganamouit followed suit in the 94th to make it 6-0.
www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jun/09/womens-world-cup-cameroon-overpower-ecuador

semid4lyfe:
Lol, u dey welcome me. :DNa me get here nah

CFCfan and other oldies like FBS and Honeric01 can attest to this.

Thanks for the warm welcome

Moly Coconuts. The otunba of NL (not only sports section oh . lol)
Na you be this? It is a lie. Iro ni.

imo Oshoala was playing on the wings during the first half and made some very good runs, only the final ball was missing.

In the second half, she was basically playing as the second striker along with that girl...wetin be her name again? While our number 13 went on to the right. But nna that her WORLD CLASS-inspired pass still dey do me one kind . kai. Super-latious.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mefYtjq5drM


Had the coach made the right changes at the right time, we would have had the energy to win the game cos the Swedes were down and out in the last 10 mins. Instead them girls/coach were ok with a draw - an impressive one though I must say.

Our next opponent australia are a very good side, we will have to be on our best to beat them .

safarigirl:
It's USA 2-1 Australia

ok we will do same to them

dodobytes:
Still cant believe that 90mins flew by and Okon didnt make 1 substitution!!

That man is a liability to the team,he should be given his return ticket and allowed to come back home.Those girls will coach themselves

But the girls tried now. For me I blame the girls for the cheap goals conceded and not the coach.
The coach knows and sees what we don't most of the time.
He is therefore, not a liability but a great ability to the team.

Firstly I want to congratulate everyone for our good showing yesterday,I am passionate about our female team as so many of us on this thread.I want to point out a few things about the differences in opinions on the coaching input in the game last night.

I still stand by what I said,Okon shouldn’t have gone 90+mins without a single substitution when it was obvious we needed fresh legs.Someone mentioned that as long as we weren’t at risk of injuries he should allow the game go on.I find that ludicrous,do you know there are freak injuries? They just happen out of the blues,even when you are not tackled.Okon risked our starting 11 burning out and getting injured or even getting carded.The major reason for injuries can be fatigue and poor fitness,When a player is tired,judgement becomes impaired and decision making is very poor,you dive into tackles indiscriminately.

I am not a fan of Njoku,but using a traditional centre back as a full back didn’t pay off last night and Okon should have corrected that immediately when it became glaring.Please don’t say Ohale grew into the role,we all saw we got punished severally due to her weakness,and against a disciplined side one goal margin is good enough to send you packing from the tournament.

Do you know Okon sent out a message to opposition coaches last night,they are;
• I don’t have confidence in my bench,cos’ they aren’t up to scratch
• I don’t have a clue on how to influence a game.

Its funny when I hear Ordega,Desire and Oshoala are the best players we got and so changing them is not an option as making changes would have upset the ryhtm of the game.So when we play Australia,and the game gets tough(as I am sure it will),we should stick to the same starting 11 for the full 90mins,same for the USA tie too?
Watching the game I couldn’t tell what Okon wanted,did he want a win or a draw? When we equalised,he could have injected fresh legs into the game.Psychologically that move alone sends shivers down the opposition cos’ they know you have smelt blood and you are going for the kill.Or if he wanted a draw there was no better time to run down the clock by embarking on three needless substitutions all at once.

The national teams belong to all of us,its our pride and the coach is privileged to hold the position of responsibility.Okon is a wonderful coach and his eye for talent is unparalleled,but if we must progress then he has to focus on his flaws too and work on them.Technically he can and should do better,or better still align himself with coaches that are more technically gifted.

In one of my earlier posts,I recall saying that Ngozi “Iniesta” Okobi will be our stand out performer at the mundial and I was proven right yesterday.That girl will set this competition on fire!!,but Okon shouldn’t let her burn out.

The mystery of unpredictability has won many games for many a team,I also recall saying after I saw the team list last night that the game could very well be won from the bench,and I believe that with the right changes Perpetua/Dike/Njoku/Ini,we just very well may have nicked it.

Shout out to all my friends here,we agree to disagree.Iron sharpeneth iron.

FBS:
Moly Coconuts. The otunba of NL (not only sports section oh . lol)
Na you be this? It is a lie. Iro ni.

FBS... long time bros!

honeric01:
FBS... long time bros!

Only one honeric01 I know. Sup man. Longest time.

FBS:
Only one honeric01 I know. Sup man. Longest time.

Its been ages sir.. you on Whatsapp? we can still connect there..

You just dey mellow alone...kontinu o lolz