Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum agrees injured Ashleigh Plumptre and Halimatu Ayinde will be sore misses for the team at the Olympics, describing them as top-quality players, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The American tactician bared his mind on the sad development ahead of today’s international friendly against Olympic champions Canada, starting at 6.30 p.m. Spain time (5.30 p.m. Nigeria time) at the La Quinta Football Centre, Malaga, Spain.
He gave the assurance that there are other players ready to fill the voids, appreciating the camping exercise, and several quality players coming through the ranks and anxious to make a mark at the Olympics.
He said, “The players are excited; they have been sharp and full of confidence. I like what I am seeing at this camp. It has been productive for us. The players are full of confidence coming out of the World Cup; they know they can face the best teams in the world, and that is the biggest improvement I have seen from that time until this time.
“The good thing about having a national team is having experienced players and the young ones coming up to replace them when ready. Right now, we have a good blend of experienced players and young ones, and I think they are going to have a great future with the team.
“When you lose Ashleigh Plumptre and Halimatu Ayinde, they are two world-class players tough for anything to lose, especially two of them. But then the thing we preach to our players all along is that somebody else has to step up and replace them, and I think we saw that with Chidinma Okeke coming in at left-back for Plumptre when she was out against Cameroon and South Africa.
“I think right now it’s a good thing we have some depth in midfield, players Deborah Abiodun and Toni Payne. It’s still a solid midfield. We have other players; Echegini can play in there, and Ajibade can play in there. So, even though we lose some players, we have some depth in there. It certainly has to happen; I feel bad for them for not going to the Olympics.
“Against Canada, we will go into the match with the aim of giving a good performance, irrespective of the results. We are also aware that some players are coming back from injury, so we will give some players the opportunity to see what they can do at the Olympics. Canada are Olympic champions, so we expect a tough match, and the girls are ready.
“We are in a tough group at the Olympics. We have Brazil, Japan, and world-champion Spain. It’s a very difficult group, but our girls will be ready to compete.”
Nigeria and Canada were involved in a hard-fought FIFA Women’s World Cup Group B opener at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on July 21, 2023, with the game ending 0-0. Nigeria’s goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie saved a penalty kick by veteran Christine Sinclair and made 14 other big saves in the afternoon encounter.