Toni Payne, the Super Falcons midfielder, has expressed confidence that the former African champions could go all the way at the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.
The midfielder made the statement after they played draw with the Republic of Ireland and secured the round of 16 tickets.
“If we continue to play as we have and improve on each game, we can go all the way to the final.
“We are a team of wonderful and hard-working players and together we can achieve our goals.”
“We knew we were in the ‘Group of Death’, we knew it was going to be hard, but we also knew it was not going to be impossible to qualify from it.
“The objective was to qualify and we did that today”, she said in Brisbane.
Nigeria finished in the second position behind the host Australia who secured a 4-0 win over Canada.
Meanwhile, Following their 0-0 draw with Republic of Ireland and qualification for the Round of 16, the Super Falcons were given two days off by the technical crew, with training sessions to resume on Thursday (today) at the Lions FC Stadium in Brisbane, ahead of the clash with England on Monday, August 7. Players used the opportunity to stretch their legs and see a few places of interest close to their hotel.
Nigeria and England have clashed thrice previously at senior women international level, with the Falcons winning two of the three matches.
However, Chelsea and England forward, Lauren James, has said the matchup against Nigeria would be a tough game for the Lionesses.
The Super Falcons will face European champions, England, in the round of 16 at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
The nine-time African champions became the first African team to qualify for the round of 16 after finishing runners-up in Group B of the competition following a goalless draw with Republic of Ireland on Monday.
Stellar throughout the tournament, James has nicked three goals in the last two games and poses a threat the Falcons’ defense must be wary of.
When asked about the upcoming tie against nine-time African champions Nigeria, James said, “It’ll be very tough. Teams are catching up with each other. It’ll be a difficult game.”
The round of 16 clash is slated for Monday, August 7th, 2023 at 8.30 am in Brisbane, Australia.
England finished as winners of Group D with nine points ahead of Denmark with six points to come second on the log.
A win for Nigeria against England will ensure the Falcons equal their best-ever finish at the Women’s World Cup by reaching the quarter-final for the first time since 1999.
Super Falcons have taken part in all world cups but England has not. Though the Lionesses have a good league, their players play for top clubs in England, but our players are also playing in Europe. In terms of experience, Nigerian players cannot be written off.
