A former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) presidential candidate, Hon. Lumumba Dah Adeh, has warned the Super Falcons against over-confidence as they lock horns with Australia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Thursday at the Lang Park in Brisbane/Meaanjin.
With the maximum three points from their opening match against Republic of Ireland in Sydney on 20 July, the Matildas know they have a fight on their hands against nine-time African champions, Super Falcons, who refused to bow to Olympic champions Canada in Melbourne the following day.
The Super Falcons know only a win will be good enough to stand them in good stead for a place in the Round of 16, as only the two top-placed teams in each of the eight groups will make progress in a tournament that has welcomed 32 teams for the first time ever.
Consequently, speaking ahead of the must-win encounter, the former member of the House of Representatives from Plateau State said even as they earned a decent result against Canada, the Super Falcons must not throw caution to the wind against the Matildas.
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He noted that against the Canadians, the Super Falcons sat back to soak pressure and then go on counter-attack occasionally which made it difficult for their opponents to make deadly incursions into their box.
According to Lumumba, the team should avoid the temptation to go all out on attack against Australia as he said they would pay dearly, if they suddenly change their defensive tactics.
“The match against Australia is not going to be an easy one. If you look at the ranking of the teams, the Super Falcons are the underdogs because the Aussies are ranked 7th while Nigeria is ranked 40th in the world.
“Therefore, Super Falcons’ handlers must warn them against over-confidence. They shouldn’t be deceived by the draw with Canada. If they think they withstood the Canadians so they can afford to attack without caution, it may back-fire.
“They should be psyched up and told not to be over-confident, not only against Australia but any other team in the tournament,” said the proprietor of the defunct Jos City Raiders FC.
Lumumba maintained that playing against the co-host will be difficult but the Super Falcons must do their best to brighten their chances of progressing from the group.
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