Super Falcons vs Botswana (1:0 win): Retrospective Review

Preamble:

You know, it doesn’t always matter how revoltingly ugly your team plays, so long as they smash the safe, get the loot, and get away clean (with all 3 points in the bag), why complain?

Magudu’s Falcons now have 6 points from 6 on offer after 2 games. Yet some fans are still crying blue murder, with mutterings about disjointed play, wayward passes, poor team selection, and limited tactical coaching input on display, among a litany of complaints.

Well, looking at it from the perspective of being an African and rooting for women’s football to reach remarkable heights, I couldn’t be prouder of how the Botswanans came out to play football yesterday.

They showed no respect for the proud heritage of the Super Falcons in this tournament, nor for the pedigree of the Nigerian players before them.

They were out to make a statement, and they did with their daring offensive approach and compactness at the back, which frustrated Oshoala and doused the flame of our entire frontline before the trio of Okoronkwo, Echegini, and Ihezuo crashed the party.

Their (Botswana) keeper was amazing, with the elasticity of a cat and the claws of a tiger. I felt bad that she was beaten in the end, but as a Nigerian now, I was happy that, once again, our subs produced the goods when it mattered the most; what subs are often brought on to do by the coach (if I might add).

It baffles the mind why anyone would grumble about the starting line-up of Madugu. What matters, to me at least, is that we have a stable starting 11 and a clearly defined hierarchy of substitutes, chikena!

If you don’t like his selection and hierarchy, well, you can take it or leave it; the buck stops with this coach, and so far, 6 points in the kitty have justified his choices. What do I want? A starting 11 that will steady the ship with subs that will be impactful, not necessarily the other way around.

To me, Madugu is proving to be an Emperor who wears tactical clothes.