Brushing aside the Super Falcons’ brilliant performance at the last Women’s World Cup, head coach, Randy Waldrum, says he is wary of the danger that Cameroon will pose to his team as they prepare for their next Olympics qualifiers games.

The Falcons will battle perennial rivals Cameroon — who beat Uganda 3-2 on aggregate — in the final qualifiers for Paris 2024 as they hope to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since Beijing 2008.

 

This key two-legged tie, set for February 23 and 26, stands as the penultimate hurdle to securing a coveted spot in Paris 2024.

 

Waldrum missed out on the Falcons’ win against Ethiopia but the 67-year-old American tactician is set to be on the touchline for the Nigerian women’s football team for the first time since their World Cup outing last year in Australia and New Zealand.

 

Standing between Nigeria and the Olympics ticket is Cameroon and Waldrum in an interview released by the official Super Falcons’ social media page, played down dreams of Olympic glory in Paris, as the Nigerian female team hasn’t played at the tournament in 15 years.

 

“The goal is to qualify for the Olympics as we can’t look ahead of ourselves as to the Olympics until we get there, so qualification is going to be the primary goal. Everyone knows we’ve got a difficult set of matches coming up against Cameroon, so all the focus will be on those two matches,” Waldrum said.

 

Quizzed about the amount of knowledge he has on Nigeria’s opponents and if the team is well-prepared, Waldrum commended the chemistry in the Super Falcons team.

 

“They will be seeking revenge. Both nations know each other very well, have a lot of talent, and are very dangerous, but I really like our squad and the team chemistry. We were able to get all of our players back in so if we can put in performances like the World Cup, then we have good chances,” the 67-year-old added.

 

Aside from Waldrum, fan favourite, Ashleigh Plumptre will also be making a return to the Nigerian team for the first time since the team’s World Cup outing last year.

 

Credit: punchng.com