Ex-international Felix Owolabi has praised Nigeria’s Super Falcons’ performance in the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, saying the squad has what it takes to advance beyond the round of 16.
Owolabi praised the Randy Waldrum girls for playing together in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.
“These girls have demonstrated that they have what it takes to progress past the round of 16; they have demonstrated resilience and commitment.”
“Football is mostly about hard work, tactics, and luck.” These girls have demonstrated that they come prepared; qualifying from the group stage is no easy task, and I hope and pray that they succeed spectacularly.
“I feel playing as a team has gotten them this far. “I want to encourage them not to lose their spirit and to keep playing together,” he said.
Owolabi, a former IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan player, told NAN that a goalless draw against the Republic of Ireland was fair in order to avoid overworking the players ahead of the round of 16.
“I believe the most important thing is to qualify from the group stage; the score margin is unimportant in a match that requires a draw, and I believe they should conserve their energy.”
“Round of 16 is critical; it’s fine if they play it safe.” “I mean, what’s the point of scoring three or five goals only to lose in the knockout stage?” Owolabi explained.
Following a win over Australia and a draw against Canada, the Falcons finished second in Group B and advanced to the second round.
