The Super Falcons crash out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing to England in a penalty shootout.
Nigeria played a goalless draw against the Lioness despite England’s star player being sent off in the second half.
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The game went to extra time and penalties and the Super Falcons missed two penalties giving England the quarter-final slot.
A lot of mistakes were made by the head coach of the Super Falcons which made it difficult for them to get past England.
With Nigeria now out of the Women’s World Cup, we take a look at some mistakes made by the head coach Randy Waldrum that led to their elimination.
1. Lack of dominance despite a man advantage
One of Randy Waldrum's mistakes in the game against England was not instructing his players to dominate the game and put pressure on the Lioness.
England’s star player Lauren James was sent off for an aggressive reaction toward Alozie which was an advantage for the Super Falcons.
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However, they could not make use of their one-man advantage to defeat England both at full time and extra time.
The fact that after the red card, they could not move the ball forward but instead opted for long balls was the wrong way to play a team with a player down.
Waldrum, instructing his players to go for long balls after the red card was a bad decision which led to their elimination from the tournament.
2. Wrong tactical switch
Another issue with Randy Waldrum was instructing his left back and right back to switch positions at the beginning of extra time.
Alozie and Plumptre were instructed by the head coach to switch positions in extra time which made it difficult for them to make crosses into the box.
Alozie also got a chance in the first half of extra time but could only play it wide off the goalpost because she used her weaker foot to play the ball, in a position where she was not supposed to be in the first place.
If Plumptre was in that position, she could have hit the ball towards the goal because she is a left-footer and plays as a left-back.
3. Poor substitution
Randy Waldrum also made a wrong move by substituting two of his best players on the pitch against England.
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Kanu was a threat to the England defenders when she was with the ball and put dangerous crosses into the box.
Payne also was dominant in the midfield making good passes into the final third and controlling possession for her team.
However, both players were substituted before the penalty shoot out which reduced the Super Falcons' ability to create chances and made them opt for long balls.
Waldrum substituting both players in the game was a wrong decision and it cost Nigeria the victory they deserved.