THE Super Falcons of Nigeria are champions of Africa again. They won the competition in Ghana on Saturday December 1. The female team had lifted the trophy Nine times out of 11. Mali and Equatorial Guinea had each won the tournament.

IN that competition, though they started on a low note, losing to the  Bayana Bayana of South Africa by a lone goal in their first group match, the Super Falcons mustered strength and experience to defeat the same team in the Final via penalty shoot-outs, 4-3 in the Accra Sports Stadium.

WITH that initial defeat, many had predicted that the team may not go far in the tournament. But those who wrote them off had to eat up their words and lauded the African champions, who have been waxing stronger for many years.

WE commend the Coach, Thomas Dennerby, and his assistants for being able to inject enough motivation into the team to mentally position them and raise their spirit, with the result being the team raising of the cup, bringing joy to the nation, as the country united behind the team.

THE Nigeria Football federation, NFF has rewarded the victorious girls with $10,000 each for lifting the  trophy while  Aliko Dangote and Abdulsalam Rabiu also showered them with $138,000 and $69,000 respectively.

THE team has now cemented its name as the team to beat in female football in Africa with a good display of skill and dexterity and a display of beautiful football. They have no doubt blazed the trail in female African football.

TWO things stood out in Ghana, the fact that Super falcons were able, against all odds, to retain the cup and with that book their place at the quadrennial FIFA Women’s World Cup, taking place in France, in June, 2019, with the United States as the defending champion.

THIS is a commendable feat and worthy of celebration. The team rose from defeat in their opening match to raise the ante as the competition progressed, displaying unwavering resilience, determination and a never-say-die attitude.

IT is a recognisable trait of the Nigerian Football Teams, both male and female, to push on and refuse to be counted out, even when down, until the blast of the last whistle.

ONE could recall the Miracle of Dammam of February 25, 1989, where after going down by four goals at the U-20 competition in the FIFA Youth Championship at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, equalised and then defeated their opponent, USSR via penalty shoot-out.

THE continental exploits of the Super Falcons is a rare feat and has shown that women footballers in Nigeria have proved their mettle, but their domination in Africa has not been replicated on the global stage, where they have struggled to make their mark. Having been to all the FIFA world cups since 1991, they had only managed to secure a top eight finish once in 1999.

SO while we can pat ourselves in the back for coming out top in Africa again, there is need for a sober reflection on why that is not the case on the world stage. Our performance quality consistently fall short when called to question at that level of competition.

TO ensure a better performance this time around, the handlers of the team should inject new blood into the team, rest tired legs and strategise on how to take the world by storm.

MANY who watched the Nigeria-Cameroon semi final match played in Ghana which ended goalless at the full 90 minutes plus extra time, and was decided via penalty shoot-out, were of the opinion that the super falcons were merely lucky to have escaped defeat by the skin of their teeth.

IT should be noted that our low investment in sporting facilities does not allow for the potential in the youths of the country to blossom as it should.

NEVERTHELESS, preparations should start in earnest for the France competition, there is not a minute to waste. They should pace up for the global and tough challenges ahead in france and reach for the top.

THE team need to learn lessons from the teams who have excelled, make a habit of watching their matches, and especially fellow competitors going to France towards creating a plan for success.

TO this end, the Super Falcons’ tactician has demanded that a video analyst be provided for the team towards the France competition, to study the videos of the opponents. This needs to be done to get a different result this time around.

FULL support should be given to the team as they prepare to prosecute the international competition, the logistics should be adequately taken care of and plans made well ahead of time. Quality friendly matches should be lined up to make the team battle and mentally ready for the competition.

THE team should spend good time blending together, and approach the competition with total focus. Every moment of the seven months between now and June, 2019 should be maximally utilised.

WE should not go to sleep to wake up just shortly before France 2019 and then expecting miracles from the girls. The team needs all the nurturing it can get to produce a positive result we would all be pleased with.