Nigeria’s Super Falcons crashed out of the Paris 2024 Women’s Olympic football tournament following a 1-3 loss to Japan on Wednesday.
The Super Falcons biggest loss of the tournament in Group C means they return home without a point from their first outing at the Olympic Games in 16 years.
Coach Randy Waldrum and his Falcons team had come into Paris with high hopes after a commendable showing at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023.
After consecutive 0-1 defeats by Brazil and Spain in their first two matches, the Falcons were expected to at least get a win or draw against Japan to stand a slim chance of progressing to the knockout stages. But it was the Nadeshiko that held all the aces after two goals in 10 minutes.
Maika Hamano scored Japan’s first goal in the 22nd minute, followed by Maina Tanaka’s sublime freekick in the 32nd minute, which left Falcons’ goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie stranded. It left the nine-time African champions with little or no chance against a strong Japanese team.
Nevertheless, Jennifer Echegini’s brilliant goal in the 42nd minute briefly gave a flicker of hope for Nigeria. But the Japanese quickly extinguished any semblance of a comeback and restored their two-goal advantage when Hikaru Kitagawa scored their third via another fine freekick in added time of the first half.
The Super Falcons struggled to recover their rhythm in the second half as the Asian champions held on to a deserved 3-1 win, leaving Waldrum and his Falcons team wondering how their Olympics dream ended with just one goal and without a point in their three matches.
