Sports
Women’s W/Cup: Falcons Open On Losing Not0065 …Go Down To France 1-0
Nigeria’s 12-year winless streak at the FIFA Women’s World Cup continued on Sunday as the Super Falcons fell 1-0 to France in the first match of the tournament.
Marie-Laure Delie poked home from close range after 56 minutes as the French held on to claim the win.
Perpetua Nkwocha, Ebere Orji and Desire Oparanozie all had chances for Nigeria but failed to take them.
Buoyed by the introduction of German assistant coach Thomas Oblias to the coaching staff, the Falcons looked more composed than usual in their defensive organisation. But the price they paid for that was sacrificng their counter-attacking verve.
Uche Eucharia’s two-strong midfield was overrun for large parts of the game, leaving the dangerous Perpetua Nkwocha isolated and with no supply.
The first chance though, did fall to her when she was played in by Gloria Iroka. Nkwocha zipped off down the right channel, but took on one player too many before being forced off the ball.
France’s response was a stunning effort from range, which produced a magical save from Nigeria captain Precious Dede. From the corner kick, Thinney struck the post as Nigeria reeled.
But the best chance of the half by far, fell to Ugochi Oparanozie. Iroka won the ball in transition, and played her in behind on a rapier-quick counter. Her pacegot her on a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but she dragged her purchase well wide when through on goal.
The Nigerian girls were hamstrung further when Faith Ikidi, who had her hands full dealing with Louisa ‘Zidane’ Necib and Sonia Bompastor on the left side, was forced off with what appeared to be stomach trouble just before half time.
The loss was immediate as the second period resumed, although Nigeria threatened first. Mbachu delivered a loping cross, goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz flapped and Wendie Renard was just on hand to head the ball clear of the lurking Ebere Orji.
And then came the breakthrough. France attacked again down the right channel, Necib delivered a superb ball into the middle, Osinachi Ohale hacked at thin air, and Delie put the ball away.
The French tired towards the end, but Nigeria failed to respond with a change in tactics, and Nigeria continue to wait to snap that losing streak since Mercy Akide’s winner earned them victory over Denmark in 1999.
Moments later, hosts Germany got off to a winning start with a 2-1 victory over Canada. They now lead Group A after the first round of matches.
Nigeria will now hope to claw results against Germany and then Canada to stay in the competition.
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
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