Mbachu: Falcons Unlucky in Olympic Exit

Former Super Falcons star Stella Mbachu has expressed that Nigeria’s senior women’s football team was unfortunate to be eliminated from the Paris 2024 Olympics at the group stage, according to NIGERIA NEWS 247.

Randy Waldrum’s squad suffered a 3-1 defeat to Japan in their final Group C match on Wednesday, resulting in their exit from the tournament after losing all three group games.

Drawn into a tough Group C with Spain, Brazil, and Japan, the Falcons faced a challenging path. Their campaign began with a 1-0 loss to Brazil. Despite a stronger performance in their second game against Spain, they fell short, with a late goal from Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas securing a 1-0 victory for the Spaniards.

In their final group match against Japan, the Falcons were down 2-0 before the half-hour mark. Jeniffer Echegini scored a spectacular goal to bring Nigeria back into the game at 2-1. However, a controversial decision in the final minute of added time by Venezuelan referee Emikar Calderas, awarding a free kick to Japan, resulted in Hikaru Kitagawa scoring from the set piece, sealing Nigeria’s defeat.

Mbachu, who earned 88 caps and scored 20 goals for Nigeria, told NIGERIA NEWS 247 that the team’s performance, despite the losses, was commendable. “I think they did very well; they were just unlucky,” she said. “I don’t believe they did anything wrong because I believe they gave their best.”