Super Falcons bow out of Paris 2024

by Graeme Jackson

Wednesday Jul 31, 2024. 19:11

Nigeria have bowed out of the women’s football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games after suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Japan at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Wednesday evening.

The Super Falcons came into the game with a slim chance of advancing from Group C, but a third defeat at the tournament has left them at the bottom of the standings and heading for an early flight home from France.

The result also means that Japan advanced into the quarterfinals alongside Group C winners Spain, with third-place Brazil likely to join them but waiting on results from elsewhere through the course of the evening.

After asserting their dominance through the opening phase of the match, Japan claimed the lead on 22 minutes when Riko Ueki unselfishly teed up Maika Hamano for a tap-in at close range.

Ten minutes later Mina Tanaka doubled the lead, as she powered a header onto the crossbar but had the quick reaction to follow-up on the rebound and force home a second goal.

Nigeria halved the deficit in the 42nd minute, as Onyi Echegini exchanged passes with Christy Ucheibe before crashing home a left-footed drive from the edge of the penalty area.

Yet the Asian side restored a two-goal lead via a brilliant strike from Hikaru Kitagawa, who scored direct from a free kick with a curling left-footed shot in the fifth minute of added time before the break.

That superb goal completed the scoring in the match, with neither side able to ripple the net through the course of the second half.

Japan created several good chances, but were denied a more emphatic score line by sloppy finishing.