FIFA Women’s World Cup: “We made a statement”- Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre

The Super Falcons were not expected to do well at the World Cup, but they put up some big performances

Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre has shared her satisfaction with Nigeria’s performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup despite losing to England in the round of 16, Soccernet reports.

Nigeria had a controversial preparation for the 2023 FIFA World Cup because of coach Randy Waldrum’s open rant about the NFF. He complained about the delayed payment of wages and the improper preparation for the tournament.

There were subtle talks that the players would boycott the opening fixture against Canada. However, the team captain Onome Ebi rubbished it and assured that the Super Falcons were focused on the competition.

Nigeria did very well in the group stage, defeating co-hosts Australia and picking two draws against Canada and Ireland Ireland to finish second in Group B.

Unfortunately, they were stopped in their tracks on Monday, as they lost 4-2 to England on penalties in the round of 16.

Following their defeat, Nigeria defender Plumptre, who had a great performance, has shared her satisfaction with the Super Falcons’ display at the Mundial.

“I think everybody counted us out against England,” Plumptre told the Athletic.

“And I’m telling you, after this game, I’m tired of people just saying that African teams are just strong, and they’re just fast, and count us out as being technical or tactical.

“We just pushed England to the very end. And I actually think that we had better chances than them.

“We made a statement here. We won’t be forgotten for what we’ve done, and this will just be the foundation moving forward.

“Now we have expectations to get out of this group all the time. To push these teams all the time. We just need to keep believing in ourselves and get the backing we deserve, and I think we can go a long way.”

The Super Falcons would have to build on their World Cup performance. However, the Nigeria Football Federation have to sort out their issues with coach Randy Waldrum moving forward.