Nigeria forward Rasheedat Ajibade believes they did not make the most of their chances following their defeat to England in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 round of 16.
The Super Falcons and Sarina Wiegman’s ladies struggled to score a goal at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Monday, but they were separated by a penalty shoot-out, with the Lionesses claiming a 4-2 win.
The Super Falcons had the numerical advantage after Lauren James was sent off for a harsh tackle on Michelle Alozie in the 87th minute and they also had the most shots in the encounter, 20 shots compared to England’s 12.
The Atletico Madrid star feels the game was Nigeria’s to lose but she lauded her teammates for the fine performance against the Women’s Euro 2022 champions.
“It’s disappointing because I feel like we have the game in our hands and you know, playing a man down,” Ajibade said after the game.
“Playing one man down against them. I think we should have taken advantage you know, but overall, I’m proud of the team and I’m proud of myself.
“I’m proud of you know, the whole players, so we just have to keep going, you know? Yeah. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria captain Chiamaka Nnadozie said Monday’s performance against England was a display of the good qualities in Randy Waldrum’s selection.
The Paris FC goalkeeper was a brilliant figure between the sticks for Nigeria with three clean sheets in the tournament and she earned herself the Player of the Match award in their first game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 against Canada.
“We showed the whole world what we are made of,” the 22-year-old captain said. “We showed the whole world we can play good football and yeah, I think we’ll go back to the drawing board and work on our mistakes and come back again and make this country proud.”
