Oluehi blames herself for Nigeria defeat and looks forward to Portugal clash

BetOdds Nigeria Portugal v Nigeria Friendlies Women Portugal African All Stars

Ahead of their game against the Europeans, the goalkeeper has no doubt the Super Falcons can recover from their defeat against the Reggae Girlz

Tochukwu Oluehi has revealed Nigeria are raring to bounce back from their defeat to Jamaica when they take on Portugal.

Randy Waldrum's ladies began their Summer Series campaign on a losing note, bowing 1-0 to Jamaica in Texas.

Deneisha Blackwood’s second-half strike settled the encounter as the African Queens were made to pay for their lacklustre display.

That was the first time Nigeria would lose a game since their 2019 Fifa Women's World Cup exit against Germany in the Round of 16.

The 34-year-old saved a first-half penalty as well as made a couple of impressive saves to keep the scoreline decent.

As the Super Falcons prepare to face A Seleccao das Quinas on Monday morning, Oluehi is upbeat about her side’s chances of securing victory – stating that errors spotted against Jamaica would be remedied.

“I wanted to blame myself, but I don’t know what to say. When a goalkeeper does her possible best, just a silly goal would come and mess everything up,” she said on the Super Falcons’ Instagram handle.

“I wasn’t happy for the goal [we conceded] but I tried, I did my best.

“We have seen the game [against Jamaica]. We would go back home and correct where we made our mistakes, pick up and ensure we win our second game against Portugal.”

In the absence of Barcelona star Asisat Oshoala, Levante star Francisca Ordega wore the captain’s armband.

Elsewhere, Switzerland-based defender Onyinyechi Zogg, Rivers Angels winger Vivian Ikechukwu, Finland-born striker Roosa Ariyo and Sunshine FC defender Oluwatosin Dimehin made their international debuts for Nigeria.

Accessing the performance of her defenders against Hue Menzies’ ladies, Oluehi declared that they would get better with time.

“Well, for now, I would score them 50 percent. They did well despite being new to the team. With time, they would get there,” she added.

After Monday’s game against Portugal, they will square up against hosts USA in the final match of the four-nation competition on June 17 at the Q2 Stadium.

With the beginning of the 2022 Awcon qualification campaign on the horizon in October, these games will be a useful exercise in determining who merits further inclusion against Ghana.

2021-06-12 23:00:04

Comments

Send Your Comment

Download Application