Turkish Women’s Cup: Super Falcons Coach Names Final Squad - Sports

Turkish Women’s Cup: Super Falcons Coach Names Final Squad - Sports - Nairaland

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Turkish Women’s Cup: Super Falcons Coach Names Final Squad by robosky02(op): 11:38am On Feb 12, 2021

The Falcons will aim to become the first African side to triumph at the tournament

Four months after being named the coach of the Nigeria national women’s football team, American coach Randy Waldrum has released his maiden squad list for his first Super Falcons’ assignment.

It will be the first run-out for the Super Falcons, who reached the Round of 16 at the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France in the summer of 2019, and since being shockingly edged out of the Tokyo Olympic Games by Cote d’Ivoire .

It is also the first call for Waldrum, with the squad he is expected to mould into credible competitors for honours at the global level.

Ukraine, Serbia, India, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan and Equatorial Guinea are among teams confirmed so far for the 10-day tourney, though the Tokyo Olympics-bound Zambian team pulled out for undisclosed reasons.

Nine-time African champions Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang Nacional have been lumped into the same pool alongside Uzbekistan, with the Guineans handed an opportunity to address a 6-0 spanking by the Nigerians in the group phase of the 2018 Women Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ghana.

Also known as the Alanya Gold City Cup, the tournament ranks as one of the more notable events on the women’s football calendar worldwide.

The Falcons will aim to become the first African side to triumph at the tournament, following the third-place finish by Ghana’s Black Queens last year. Chile won the trophy and Hungary came in as the runner-up.

Poland (2017) and France (2018 and 2019) are the other previous winners of the Alanya Gold City Cup.

Waldrum invited 23 players, mostly from the group that reached the Round of 16 at the 2019 World Cup. This list includes: goalkeepers Tochukwu Oluehi and Chiamaka Nnadozie; defenders Onome Ebi and Chidinma Okeke; midfielders Rita Chikwelu, Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene and Halimatu Ayinde, and forwards Gift Monday, Rasheedat Ajibade and Asisat Oshoala.

.@NGSuper_Falcons 23 for Gold City Tournament in Antalya, Turkey. #SoarSuperFalcons #Team9jaStrong pic.twitter.com/Tl7siZpB9b

— The NFF �� (@thenff) February 11, 2021

The 23-woman list
Goalkeepers: Tochukwu Oluehi (C.D. Pozoalbense, Spain); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Christy Ohiaeriaku (Edo Queens)

Defenders: Onome Ebi; Glory Ogbonna (Edo Queens); Osinachi Ohale (Madrid CFF, Spain); Mariam Ibrahim (Nasarawa Amazons); Chidinma Okeke (Madrid CFF, Spain); Habeebat Akinwande (FC Robo)

Midfielders: Rita Chikwelu (Madrid CFF, Spain); Esther Sunday (ALG SPOR, Turkey); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (Eskilstuna, Sweden); Antoinette Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Halimatu Ayinde (Eskilstuna, Sweden); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Patricia George (Sands FC, Germany)

Forwards: Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona, Spain); Uchenna Kanu (Linkopings, Sweden); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Francisca Ordega; Chinwendu Ihezuo; Gift Monday (FC Robo); Charity Adule (SD Eibar, Spain)