Super Falcons Coach Impressed, in Spite of Team's Laborious Performance Against Cameroon

Coach Edwin Okon of the national senior women football team on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with the team's performance in their 1-0 win over their Cameroonian counterparts in an international friendly.

Okon told newsmen after the match that their performance showed that they could stand up to any African team, even though they were still a work in progress.

The match, which was played at the FIFA Goal Project pitch of the Abuja National Stadium, was the Super Falcons' preparatory match for the African Women Championship (AWC) qualifiers.

Azizat Oshoala scored the only goal of the tension-soaked encounter in the 85th minute.

"I am satisfied with their performance because they put up a good fight, although they were relaxed in the first half. But we thank God they stood up to their opponents in the second half.

"There is no match that is simple. Even if you are playing against those that are under-5, you will have to labour to win, and thank God our labour today was not in vain.

"The players created so many scoring chances, but we will now go back to work on the team's attack so that they won't just create chances without scoring them," Okon said.

The coach however said there was still the need for more blending in view of the arrival of new players in the team.

"But the fact is that they are still trying to blend because there are so many new players in the team that we are trying to rebuild into what Super Falcons used to be.

"So, the team is still work in progress," Okon said.

Commenting on the match, Head Coach of the Cameroonian team, Enow Ngachu, said the goal the team conceded was as a result of a defensive error.

He said this would be worked on in due course.

Ngachu said five of the team's players who would have helped the team were left out because they wanted to inject fresh blood into the team.

"The goal was a defensive error and that is one of the essences of a friendly match, to discover loopholes.

"We expected a tough match and it happened. But it would have been a better performance from us if it was a qualifying match. It was just a friendly match.

"However, I left out five of my players who would have added strength to the team.

"But it is a good one, because we decided to use fresh players so that we will start incorporating them gradually," the Cameroon coach said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rwanda will host the Super Falcons in the first leg match between May 23 and May 25.

They will then visit Nigeria for the return leg match between June 6 and June 8.(NAN)