By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria’s Coach, Randy Waldrum, has called up team Captain, Onome Ebi and forwards Asisat Oshoala and Rasheedat Ajibade to the camp of the Super Falcons, ahead of next month’s couple of international friendly matches in Turkey.
The nine-time African champions have a date against World Cup-bound Haiti women’s National team at the Emir Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey on Friday April 7, before taking on World Cup co-hosts, New Zealand, at the Mardan Sports Complex also in Antalya on Tuesday April 11, 2023.
It would be recalled that last month, the Super Falcons were at the Four-Nation Revelation Cup in the city of Leon, Mexico where they played three matches, two of which were against World Cup-bound Costa Rica and Colombia.
“The clashes in April are to further test the strength of the African representatives against other World Cup-bound teams, with this year’s edition being the biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in history. It welcomes 32 teams – same number as featured at the men’s finals in Qatar late last year,” the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) revealed in a statement to Heritage Times HT on Sunday.
The invited players according to NFF are goalkeepers – Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Yewande Balogun (AS Saint-Etienne, France); Inyene Etim (Abia Angels)
The defenders are Onome Ebi (Abia Angels); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England); Glory Ogbonna (Besiktas JK, Turkey); Rofiat Imuran (Stade de Reims, France); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France)
Halimatu Ayinde (FC Rosengard, Sweden); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (FC Levante Las Planas, Spain); Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (AS Saint-Etienne, France) make up the midfield pack.
The forwards are Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona Femenin, Spain); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Esther Okoronkwo (AS Saint-Etienne, France); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville, Kentucky, USA); Desire Oparanozie (Wuhan Chegu Jianghan, China); Gift Monday (UDG Tenerife, Spain).
