26th August, 2015
The Super Falcons on Tuesday beat Abeess Boys Academy 3-2 in a friendly match in Abuja as part of their preparations for the 11th All Africa Games (AAG) in Congo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the match was played at the FIFA Goal Project of the National Stadium.
The senior national female football team opened scores through striker Yetunde Adeboyejo eight minutes into the match, before Ejeh Joseph equalised for Abeess Boys Academy seven minutes later.
The Super Falcons regained advantage through Mercy Amanza’s goal few minutes to the end of the first half.
Chinasa Uchendu extended the Falcons’ lead in the 77th minute, while Joseph scored another goal for Abeess in the 83rd minute to make the scoreline respectable.
Speaking after the game, Falcons’ coach Christopher Danjuma told NAN that the team had been training and making do with what it could get to prepare for the AAG.
“We have been doing all we can to make the girls competition-ready, and to go there and make Nigerians proud in spite of the fact that we have only home-based players with us.
“So, we are applying the philosophy of `whatever you have in your hand, do the best with it to get the best out of it,’’’ he said.
Danjuma said the situation the team faced during the 2016 Olympic qualifier against Equatorial Guinea, which it lost, had not changed.
“Like I said before right from Equatorial Guinea, that we do not have the services of those players who made the team to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, and we are still facing the same thing.
“As it is today, we have barely four days to go before our departure for the All Africa Games in Congo, yet there is no overseas-based player in our midst.
“Some of them still have games to play over there by this Thursday, and so they can’t join us for now,’’ he said.
The coach however ran the rule by saying any player who could not make it to the camp in Abuja would not be joining the team in Congo.
“I do not think there’s any arrangement for any player to join us over there for now.
“Because, any player that is not here cannot join the squad,’’ he said.