Super Falcons and Bay F.C. striker, Asisat Oshoala, is confident in Nigeria's ability to usurp the big dogs at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 29-year-old has been a mainstay in the Super Falcons team since making her debut against Japan in 2013, but will be attending her first-ever Olympics game in France this summer.
Pumped with belief and anticipation, Oshoala believes Nigeria can come away with a huge result despite being drawn in the same group as Spain, Brazil, and Japan.
“This will be a special event. I’ve never been to the Olympics before, but I’ve heard a lot about it. I look forward to it so much – if I make the team! People said the same thing at the World Cup last year. They said we were in the Group of Death [with Australia, Canada and the Republic of Ireland] and could not qualify, but we did. I have a lot of confidence in this team. We have many young players, and we can make things difficult for our opponents. We don’t just think about getting out of the group. I think we can actually walk away with a medal,” the two-time UEFA Women's Champions League winner said in an interview with FIFA.
Popularly dubbed agba-baller by Nigerians, Oshoala mentioned another reason she wants to make the Olympics to play against her ex-Barcelona teammates.
“It’s gonna be fun! Before the World Cup, we had this chat within ourselves on the team. We all wanted to play each other, but we didn’t get drawn into the same group. We all still keep in touch. It will be a cool experience,” the Bay FC striker said.
Oshoala featured from the bench in Nigeria's Olympic qualifying games against Cameroon and South Africa, but she is still confident she has much to offer Randy Waldrum's team.
“I know what I can do. I know what I offer on and off the pitch. Even when I was in the best team in the world, I knew what I could contribute. I always encourage the younger ones and help them understand they can give even more. I work hard for the team and try to make sure I do my part of the business – and that way everyone takes care of their business as well. Our team won't stop running until we hear the whistle. That's difficult for the opposition teams because they can't break us,” the six-time CAF Player of the Year award recipient concluded.
The Paris 2024 Olympics kicks off on the 26th of July and will run through till August 11. After 16 years, Nigeria has finally qualified for women's Olympic football again.
