Reactions as Nigerian football fans believe Asisat Oshoala should have taken Super Falcons first penalty against England.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria suffered a 4-2 loss to the Lionesses of England in a round of 16 2023 Women's World Cup match played on Monday, August 7, 2023.
It was a close encounter between the two teams and the Super Falcons ranked 40th put up a fight against the reigning European champions.
Despite Lauren James receiving a red card in the second half, the Super Falcons were unable to take advantage of their numerical advantage in extra time as the game went to penalties.
Super Falcons unlucky on penalties
Veteran striker Desire Oparanozie stepped up but missed while Michelle Alozie hit the bar as the Super Falcons were never able to recover.
England looked more comfortable at the spot and asides from their first miss wide were able to find the back of the net.
On social media, the reactions to the Super Falcons' penalty miss were mixed.
Reactions to Oshoala as Super Falcons exit World Cup
However, Barcelona superstar Asisat Oshoala rose to the top of the trends as she was not among the top four spot kick takers for the Super Falcons against England.
A lot of Nigerian football fans on social media were of the opinion that Head Coach Randy Waldrum already designated Oshoala to take the final spot-kick.
After the loss, some sections of Nigerian football fans descended on Oshoala for wanting to take the glory.
Others were of the opinion that Waldrum was at fault for not letting Oshoala take the first spot kick and settle down her teammates.
Reactions to Oshoala after penalty loss to England
Oshoala also suffered criticism from some sections, who were of the opinion that her introduction changed the pattern of the game.
As arguably Nigeria's most outstanding women's football export it is disappointing to see Oshoala not take the penalty according to the reaction of some fans, however, it is unknown if that was the decision by the coach.
The Barcelona star has yet to respond to the criticism as Pulse Sports will monitor her social media platforms for an update.
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