Falcons claim first victory at 2019 Women’s World Cup

Super Falcons of Nigeria finally got their first taste of victory at the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Korea.

The Nigerian ladies, who were beaten in their opening game by Norway, took a first half lead after the opponents scored an own-goal, thanks to Korea’s Kim Doyeon.

#NGA WIN! #NGAKOR | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/vzbf12qa9B

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 12, 2019

Advertisement

Asisat Oshoala then sealed the victory after the break following a counter-attack at the Stade des Alpes, Grenoble, on Wednesday.

The Super Falcons held on to the lead and ended the game with three points and a clean sheet.

“At first, I think we were a little bit scared of losing and going out,” Oshoala, the player of the match, said after the game.

“But after a while we just decided to go for it. I always say that I’m never under pressure — I just go on the pitch and do my job. It’s an 11-player game and I just look to enjoy the game, have fun and do the right thing for my team.

“The group is wide open now. We just have to concentrate now on making sure we get the points we need against France.”

Thomas Dennerby, the women’s coach, also hailed them for sticking to the match plan.

“Today our discipline was better than against Norway – no mistakes at all. If we can be as compact as we were today, don’t let teams overplay us in midfield and find passes through, we know we’ll get opportunities for players like Asisat. The players followed our match plan and that’s all you can really ask,” he said.

“Now we go to play France, a really good team. If we can come out with a point everyone would be extremely happy. But you can’t just go to defend – you need to know what to do when you win the ball back. And hopefully we can have a little bit of success.”

Having secured 3 points, the Falcons will now look to get something from the final fixture in group A against France, the host, on June 17.