Paris Olympics Women Football: Falcons Seek Miraculous Win over High Tech Japan
**Seek Encore of 20 Year Old Win Over Japan.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria would need God’s backing, resilience and pure professional performance to qualify for the second time in History for the Olympic Games football event quarterfinal when the team meets Japan on Wednesday at 6pm Nigerian time in their Group C encounter.
Nigeria and Japan women met three times on 6th October 2022 and Japan won 2-0; earlier on 26th September 2013 Nigeria won by the same margin but at the 2004 Women Olympic football Nigeria ran away with a lone goal victory.
In that Olympic match played on 14th August 2004 (20 years ago) at Karaiskatis Stadium in Piraeus of Greece with Ref Ferreira-James of Guyana in charge and before an audience of 14,126, Delta Queens Vera Okolo born in 1985 scored in the 55th minute. Vera later fell apart from NFA because of the soccer ruling body’s refusal to foot her injury treatment bill in Germany.
Japan was the only country Nigeria defeated in Group E for she lost to Sweden 1-2 for which the opening goal scored there was by Mercy Akide. Germany dismissed Nigeria 2-1 in Petras in the quarterfinal and Japan lost to USA 1-2 also in the quarterfinal at Thessaloniki. There were three teams in a group then.
Spain spanked Japan 2-1 in the first match of Group C at the Paris Olympics and Brazil got a shocker bowing to the Martial Arts specialist country of Japan. Japan thrashed New Zealand 4-1 on 3rd June 2024; hammered Ghana 4-0 on 13th July 2024 and played 1-1 with Columbia on 19th July 2024.
Nigeria has been jinxed with almost making it syndrome losing so many chances and losing her first game to the Samba Girls of Brazil by a lone goal and another heart breaking 0-1 loss to world Champions, Spain in an encounter they could have made history but they kept missing their chances and punching the air. Nigeria had beaten Cameroon by a lone goal on 26th February 2024; piped South Africa by a lone goal at their backyard on 5th April and on the return match played in Nigeria on 9th April 2024 it was goalless.
If records could automatically win matches, Nigeria’s appearance will be a mere formality because she is a country that has in recent times been scoring low hardly getting two goals in any match.
If we are to do football permutations which is habitual with Nigerian football community, for Nigeria to qualify for the quarters, she needs at least a 3-0 miracle win over Japan without conceding a goal; pray that Spain should help beat Brazil by 1-0.
By this permutation, Nigeria, Brazil and Japan will end up with 3 points each but Nigeria will place second and qualify on goals difference as she would have 3 goals for and 2 against with +1 Difference; Brazil will be 3rd with 2 goals for and 3 against with -1 Difference and Japan would have 3 goals for and 6 against with -3 difference. Spain will lead with 9 full points, 4 goals for and 1 against with +3 Goals difference. Great Dreams!
Late University of Ibadan Music Lecturer and Psychic Merchant, Prof. Sam Apkabot would probably counsel the Falcons to go shake hands with the Nigerian Female Basketball, D’Tigers team that humbled top seeded Australia at the same Olympics 75-62 and Akpabot would have gone to stand behind Japanese Goal Post with his red cap for an avalanche of goals.
Nigeria has a penchant for football miracles like the Darman Miracle where Russia was humbled in the world cup or the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where with the parade of stars on the Brazilian male team, Nigeria made history winning the coveted Gold Medal.
So, the last Group C matches will be played simultaneously on Wednesday 31st July at 4pm Nigerian time where Nigeria will meet Japan at Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes and the Samba girls of Brazil will tackle Spain Stade de Bordeux, Bordeux.
According to Patmos Media Line, Zambia, the other African entry is technically out of Group B placing 4th with zero point, scoring 5 goals and conceding 9 whereas USA has 6 points; Germany and Australia has 3 points each. Zambia is to face the German Machine while USA tackles Australia both at 4pm on Thursday.
