THE Super Falcons face New Zealand today in a friendly match in Antalya, Turkey hoping to continue their turnaround in fortunes.
The nine-time African champions have won their last two matches after a dismal run of seven consecutive defeats, and are keen to keep the positive streak going.
The captain of the team Onome Ebi says the Nigerian ladies are out to prove that their recent wins over Costa Rica and Haiti, which ended the record run of defeats, are no fluke, especially as the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is just three months away.
Goals by Esther Okoronkwo and Asisat Oshoala steered Nigeria past Haiti in Antalya on Thursday, two months after the 1-0 victory over Costa Rica at the Revelation Cup Tournament in Mexico.
“We have to maintain the form that we have attained over the past two matches,” Ebi told thenff.com.
“It is important for us to keep up the momentum, to keep winning and know that we can always overwhelm our opponents. The spirit is back and we are determined to sustain it.”
Today’s friendly against New Zealand will take place at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya from 4pm Turkish time (2pm Nigerian time).
Ebi, who has played in five FIFA Women’s World Cups (USA 2003, China 2007, Germany 2011, Canada 2015 and France 2019), will be making her sixth appearance at the global showpiece when the Super Falcons take on co-hosts Australia, Olympic champions Canada and debutants Republic of Ireland in Melbourne and Brisbane this summer.
“We suffered a poor patch for some months but we are happy to start winning again. The hard job is to sustain the winning streak and we’re ready to do that hard work.”
The Women’s World Cup will kick off on July 20 and end on August 20.
