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The Super Falcons were disappointing in their loss to Brazil but who were the best and worst players?
Nigeria's Super Falcons made their much-anticipated return to Olympic football after a 16-year hiatus but faced a setback in their Paris 2024 opener with a 1-0 loss to Brazil.
The decisive moment came in the first half when Gabriela Nunes Da Silva scored the only goal of the match. Despite Nigeria's early attacking intent and a missed opportunity by Chiwendu Ihezuo, the team struggled to maintain control as Brazil eventually dominated the game.
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This defeat continues a challenging trend for the Super Falcons, who have now lost four consecutive matches against Brazil.
The result marks a tough start for Randy Waldrum's squad, which is in a difficult Group C that also includes Spain and Japan. The Super Falcons will need to quickly regroup and adjust as they face tough competition ahead.
Super Falcons' player ratings against Brazil
Blessing Demehin – 4
Lacklustre for both the ruled out goal and the legal goal, Blessing Demehin has definitely seen better days in the Super Falcons’jersey.
Chinwendu Ihezuo – 4
Missed Nigeria’s best chance of the game from point-blank range after firing straight at Brazil goalkeeper Lorena Leite.
It was no surprise Ihezuo was the first to come off the pitch after being substituted during half time.
Chiamaka Nnadozie – 6
Powerless to stop Brazil’s cracking opening goal, Chiamaka Nnadozie still gave a good account of herself with an important save in the second half to keep Nigeria in the game.
Chidinma Okeke – 3
Failing to learn from her mistake after being rescued by VAR, Chidinma Okeke both gave the ball away and kept goalscorer Gabi Nunes on-side for Brazil’s opening goal.
Christy Ucheibe – 4
Tasked with stopping Brazil’s major threat Marta, Christy Ucheibe could not keep up as the veteran midfielder had a field day at her expense.
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The Benfica star lost nine of ten duels and failed to make a single block, tackle, or interception against Brazil.
Deborah Abiodun – 7
With five out of seven duels won, five interceptions and five tackles completed without being dribbled past, Deborah Abiodun was one of the few Super Falcons stars to step up to the plate against Brazil.
A solid outing for the youngster, who did her best to keep the Samba Queens at bay.
Jennifer Echegini – 5
Starting a major tournament for the first time for Nigeria proved to be too much for the Paris Saint-Germain forward as she withered and had to be taken off after the hour mark.
Michelle Alozie – 4
Usually more solid at the back, Michelle Alozie had an off day against Brazil as she was neither able to help the defence nor aid Nigeria’s cause going forward.
Osinachi Ohale – 4
Osinachi Ohale alongside Demehin in central defence failed to inspire confidence in her teammates and buckled under the might of the Brazilians.
Despite good moments in small spells, it was not a noteworthy appearance for the veteran defender.
Rasheedat Ajibade – 7
Atletico Madrid star Rasheedat Ajibade was lively in attack, creating Nigeria’s best chance of the game with a brilliant cross that left Chinwendu Ihezuo with what should have been an easy tap-in.
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Toni Payne – 5
Toni Payne failed to impact the match as much as Nigerians would have hoped and she was relatively quiet on the night against the more fancied Brazil side.
Substitutes
Ifeoma Onumonu – 5
No real impact off the bench from the forward who was unable to cause the Brazilian defence any problems.
Esther Okoronkwo – 5
Esther Okoronkwo had an entire half to improve on Ihezuo’s first half performance, but she was equally ineffective in attack for Nigeria.
Nicole Payne – 5
The second Payne sister was unable to impact the game having come on as the final throw of the dice.
Uchenna Kanu – 5
Coming off the bench midway through the second half, a lot was expected of Uchenna Kanu, but the forward failed to deliver in a sub-par performance against Brazil.
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