By Albert Akota
President of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick on Thursday showered praises on the Super Falcons, saying their resilience against the fit-fighting Indomitable Lions reflected the fabled Nigerian spirit.
“I congratulate the girls for a strong performance against another strong team. They showed that truly, Nigeria is the powerhouse of African women football. They held firm to victory even in the face of pressure towards the end.
“Their strength and perseverance was highly commendable. They have done very well to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Now, we can aim for retention of the trophy.”
The Super Falcons have set up a mouth-watering semi final duel against host nation Morocco, with vintage football expected from both teams who have already qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Super Falcons the 15th team to qualify for 2023 FIFA World Cup
Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Thursday night became the 15th team to qualify for the 9th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, to be staged in Australia and New Zealand 20th July – 20th August next year.
Hosts Australia (with five venues) and New Zealand (four venues), as well as China, Korea Republic, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, United States of America, Morocco and Zambia are the other teams.
The 5th and 6th –placed teams at the ongoing tournament in Morocco will have another shot at qualifying for the World Cup, as they join eight other teams for a Playoff Tournament early next year.
Nigeria is one of only six teams, among them USA, Germany, Brazil and Japan, to have played in every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals since the championship was launched in China in 1991.
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