Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum has expressed disappointment after Nigeria's narrow defeat to Canada in a closed-door friendly in Malaga, Spain, on Wednesday night, Soccernet.ng reports.
Waldrum attributed the loss to a single mistake by his team.
Despite the defeat, Waldrum noted that Nigeria performed better than in their previous encounter with Canada during last year's World Cup, which ended in a goalless draw.
Canada won the match 1-0 with Jordyn Huitema scoring in the 18th minute, following a mistake by Nigerian midfielder Deborah Abiodun. It was the Super Falcons' first defeat in 15 games, since a 1-0 reverse against Colombia in February 2023.
Although Nigeria lost, they managed to win the after-match penalty shootout 5-4, a prearranged decision by the game organisers.
Waldrum, who led the team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, expressed confidence in the team's present condition.
“Obviously, you would like to win with results at the end of the day but I think our performance was a very positive performance. We were very good in the attacking phase, our possession was good,” the American gaffer said, as per Afrik Foot.
“I thought it was a much better performance than we had in the World Cup against them (Canada). We created more chances against them than we did at the World Cup. I have seen a lot of improvement since the World Cup until now.
“Even though I am disappointed with the one mistake, we turned the ball over in a bad place, I thought we were good today.
“A lot of questions I had were answered today, including the penalty kicks. I am confident as we head to Paris for the Olympics.”
Nigeria's Super Falcons face a formidable challenge in Group C, where they will compete against Brazil, Spain, and Japan.
