Paris 2024: Super Falcons Coach Waldrum Explains Why Oshoala, Others Flopped at Olympics

Paris 2024: Super Falcons Coach Waldrum Explains Why Oshoala, Others Flopped at Olympics

  • Randy Waldrum has suggested that lack of preparation was responsible for the Super Falcons' poor outing at the Paris 2024 Olympics
  • Having lost their opening two matches, the Super Falcons only needed victory against Japan in their final game
  • The Super Falcons were totally outplayed by their Japanese counterparts as they lost 3-1 to the Asians

The Super Falcons head coach, Randy Waldrum, says the team's poor performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic games was due to inadequate preparation.

After losing all their matches, Nigeria crashed out of the Summer Games in the preliminary stage.

The Super Falcons lost 1-0 to Brazil in the opening game and then fell 1-0 to Spain in their second game.

Randy Waldrum is unimpressed following Nigeria's exit at Paris 2024 Olympics.
Randy Waldrum says poor preparation affected the Super Falcons' performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Photo: Chris Hyde.
Source: Getty Images

Waldrum's girls were outplayed by their Japanese counterparts in their final group game as they were beaten 3-1, with Jennifer Echegini on the scoresheet for the Africans.

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They needed to defeat the Asians by at least two goals, which would have seen them through to the knockout phase as one of the best losers.

The Nigerian women's national football team were eliminated from the Olympic Games, and Waldrum believes this was due to poor preparation.

The tactician said, as per ESPN:

“We prepared for them (all three opponents) based on the fact that we haven’t had a lot of time.
“We missed the last window before the Olympics, and so we missed 10 days of good training before the Olympics.”

Recall that the Super Falcons camped in Spain for 10 days, but some players arrived late due to visa problems.

The Super Falcons' best performance at the Summer Olympics came in Athens 2004 when they finished in sixth place after exiting the tournament in the quarterfinals.

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Ajibade breaks silence after Olympics exit

Legit.ng earlier reported that Falcons captain Ajibade, who featured in all three games, released a statement on her Instagram page expressing her disappointment and gratitude to Nigerians.

Ajibade found her voice after the team's disappointing campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics ended after the loss to Japan.

Nigeria featured in the women's football event for the first time in 16 years since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but they could have better represented themselves.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Babajide Orevba avatar

Babajide Orevba (Sports Editor) Babajide Orevba is a CAF-accredited Nigerian journalist, digital publishing expert, researcher, writer and TV analyst. He has covered several major football tournaments including FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, AFCON, CAF Competitions as well as grassroots competitions within Nigeria. Email: babajide.orevba@corp.legit.ng