SUPER Falcons of Nigeria head coach Randy Waldrum has admitted that his side must improve their finishing if they are to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The nine-time African champions overcame Cameroon 1-0 on aggregate to advance to the final round of the qualifying series for the Games, drawing 0-0 in Douala last Friday before winning 1-0 in Abuja on Monday.
There was a tense finish to Monday’s encounter, with Cameroon desperately searching for the goal that would have eliminated Nigeria, but Waldrum felt his side should have won more comfortably to avoid the nervy ending.
“In both of the matches, we had many opportunities to finish it off and not make it difficult at the end. So I think that’s where we have to get better,” the American told reporters.
“You can go back and look at the opportunities that we had. We could have finished the game off at half-time. So we have to be more efficient and more clinical around the goal.”
Waldrum was however pleased that the players were getting into scoring positions.
”I would be more concerned if we weren’t creating those chances,” he added.
Meanwhile, the former Trinidad and Tobago head coach was surprised by claims that either his side or Cameroon did or attempted to do some ‘juju’ (voodoo, supernatural powers) during the match following the drama towards the end when Indomitable Lionesses players tried to touch the net to remove whatever they believed was preventing them from scoring.
“I have never seen it before but our players wouldn’t let them in our goal to use it,” he said of the incident.
The Super Falcons will battle African champions South Africa in the final qualifying round in April for one of the continent’s two tickets to the women’s football event of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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