I thought it was a pleasant game to watch, actually. Though, Coach Danjuma’s girls didn’t present an all round polished performance, the professionalism they brought to bear in their focus and attention to formation integrity cannot be faulted.
South Korea were very compact and presented as a solid, physical and cohesive unit. Hence, particularly earlier in the game, they effectively crowded out Nigeria’s midfielders and swarmed on Flourish Sebastian and Rafiat Imuran down the flanks thereby starving centre forward Mary Nkpa of valuable service.
As the match wore on though, Nigeria started to make valuable headway with some stubborn movements, clean interplay of passes and crosses that were quite tricky to judge (which will coincidentally lead to the only goal as the swerve applied by Sebastian to her cross landed it in the back of the net in 83 minutes).
I thought the players all felt comfortable and performed admirably within the 4-2-3-1 formation that Danjuma deployed. The roster has quite an impressive curb appeal with players that have all experienced tournament football at a high level.
Goalkeeper Shukura Bakare looked very assured, commanding and composed in-between the sticks. Her judgements were spot on, often diving to the right direction of shots even though some hit the bar. She brought solidity to play with her positioning, timing and her communication all on point.
I loved her no-nonsense demeanour as she looked ready for business. I struggle to see how Faith Omilana will wrest the goalkeeping shirt from her.
Left Fullback and team captain Oluchi Ohaegbulem did allow some dangerous crosses to be delivered from her flank; she was also beaten in 1v1 before the striker cut in to shoot.
Her interactions with others were quite productive as she supported winger Imuran with offensive runs and she provided an outlet for passes. Several of her deliveries were neat and tidy (though I noted a few misplaced or overcooked passes) and she was strong – for the most parts – in duels.
She looks like a double of Tosin Demehin. Also, she was very compelling and composed, and provided attacking outlets, it was enjoyable watching her.
Highly experienced Right Fullback Jumoke Alani brought all her know-how to bear in a performance that caused problems for the opposition and raised her own profile as a rising star.
She delivered a dangerous cross that left South Korea’s defence scrambling. Her interactions with Sebastian, Bello and Adoo were a joy to watch and often progressive. Her touches were neat and positioning exemplary though a dangerous cross leaked through her flank.
I just loved the sense of urgency and focus produced by Alani. She filled me with much confidence in her abilities.
The Centre-backs of (left) Shukurat Oladipo and (right) Comfort Folorunsho were very solid and unyielding. I like Folorunsho because her warm smile is infectious. She was very robust in her tackles and interceptions and formed a formidable partnership with Shukurat that will only blossom and strengthen as the tournament progresses .
Oladipo is a like raw shovel, just digging the ball out of danger with Comfort a bit more measured and sophisticated. Both tried to launch long balls to attackers with mixed results.
Both ladies seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the danger faced from opposition strikers which endeared me to their confident performances and make me look forward to seeing them in the next game.
The 2 deep-lying playmakers – (left) Chioma Olise and (right) Yina Adoo – were quite effective in shielding the back four. That said, Olise struggled on one occasion to prevent a dangerous cross into Nigeria’s 18 yard and some of their passes went awry.
Both ladies displayed exceptional attention to detail without the ball but struggled a little bit with it. Higher up the pitch from the side, Olise seemed to come alive with some decent crosses whilst Adoo seems more at home operating from the centre where she delivered some truly tantalising short and long passes that held promise. As a defensive midfield duo, both are dynamite.
Olise and Adoo looked like a promising partnership. They were a bit subdued in this encounter but when they were on the ball, they got the heart racing delightfully; I love them!
Amina Bello was given the thankless yet envious and much sought after task of being the main the creative outlet up front but she was closed down and crowded out by the South Koreans on occasions. That said, she managed a shot at goal and worked to get into promising positions.
She played a part of the pitch where footballers pray to play because of the prestige it brings, yet she didn’t raise the profile of her game high enough or make the kind of decisions that will make her continued starting slot unassailable.
That said, I enjoyed Amina’s game. It was a respectable and professional display in how she spread herself and kept fighting for the ball and her desire to take shots (even when a pass would have been a better choice).
I think Flourish Sebastian (whom to me is more lethal operating from the left) was moved to right wing to accommodate Rafiat Imuran on the left.
Both were as busy as bee but Sebastian was targeted by the South Koreans as our main danger-woman which curtailed her somewhat. Those dangerous runs to the by-line to deliver deadly crosses were few and far between.
But she took her goal well with an in-swinger that swerved into the net. She tried to muscle though opposition defenders to deliver a variety of passes. Imuran, on her part, was quite neat down the left and her interactions with Olise and Oluchi always proved dangerous in their movements, passes and crosses.
Attention to positional details was a hallmark of Imuran’s overall presentation though some final balls were under or over baked. Sebastian too was guilty of producing some faulty passes.
I still think Sebastian would be more explosive down the left but hey, she scored a goal and Imuran put in a tidy shift with a cross to Sebastian down the middle that almost resulted in a goal had Sebastian seen off the defenders. Sweet performances from both!
Centre Forward Mary Nkpa was a hustler, battling for every ball and trying to dispossess the South Koreans from the back. She was starved of service but when put clean on goal by the impressive Imuran, she blasted wide.
She ran the channels well and looked very eager to get a taste of the action – maybe too eager, robbing her output of finesse and agency even though she can’t be faulted for effort or ambition.
Mary’s hustle and bustle in the second half particularly put a smile on my face. I love her urgency and willingness to leave her mark though I think Opeyemi Ajakaye might offer more bite.
Substitute Chiamaka Okwuchukwu displayed dribbling credentials by breezing past 2 defenders deep inside the 18 yard box but shot at the goalkeeper when a cross was the best option.
Her fellow substitute Chiamaka Osigwe will also show Okwuchukwu that selfishness doesn’t pay when, on a 2 v 1 situatuation, Osigwe elected to shoot (and missed) with Okwuchukwu better placed for a simple tap in!
That said, both Chiamakas proved a handful for South Korea with Osigwe providing the assist for Sebastian’s goal. I loved what both of them brought to the party in penetration and intent – shame about their selfishness.
The game lived up to my expectations in grinding out results against a stubborn opposition with a focused and business-like style of play.
Danjuma constructed a formation and picked players that fitted it neatly.
The South Koreans came to win this game which made life difficult for Danjuma’s girls but, despite the criticisms of armchair coaches like me, the decision to play Sebastian on the right gave rise to the winning goal which vindicates and validates Danjuma’s choices.
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