The Super Falcons of Nigeria have found themselves in a pickle as they battle Japan on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, by 4 pm at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, in search of their first win and qualification for their quarterfinals in the Women’s football tournament at the Olympics.

Calculators have now been called to action because Nigeria needs a win by at least a two-goal margin against Japan without conceding and a defeat for Brazil against Spain, before qualification can be guaranteed. Randy Waldrum’s women have been found wanting in front of goal and have yet to find the back of the net in the games.

Nigeria sits bottom of the table with zero points from two games, while Japan and Brazil sit second and third respectively, with a win each from two games. Spain sits pretty at the top, winning two of two.

It gets even more dicey as the tournament rules state that, the top two teams in each group get automatic qualification for the quarterfinals, with the best two of the three third-placed teams making it to the last eight – a lifeline. This means that Nigerian faithfuls would also have their eyes on the proceedings in groups A and B, where Canada, New Zealand, Zambia, and Australia, all battle for the best loser spots.

To the Opponents, Japan.

Japan were beaten 2-1 in their first game of the Olympics, but rose to the occasion, grabbing a 2-1 comeback victory against Brazil.

The Asian champions were silver medalists at the London 2012 Olympics, and at the 2023 World Cup, finished first in Group C which had Spain, Zambia, and Costa Rica, winning all three group games, scoring 11 goals and conceding none. Japan’s technical mastery made a strong impression in particular in her 4-0 victory against Spain, the eventual champion.

Ranked seventh, and hungry for victory, the Nadeshiko promise to be a tough opponent, capable of kicking out the Falcons after 16 long years, of searching for qualification for women’s Olympic football.

The Super Falcons, will not go down easy, if at all they go down, as they have put up strong performances, especially in defence, and held their own in both losses against powerhouses in women’s football; Spain and Brazil, leading up to this game.

As good as the Falcons’ defence might be, Futoshi Ikeda’s women have registered goals in 27 of their last 28 games in all competitions and will prove difficult to keep out.

Head to Head

This will be the fourth encounter between the teams and their second meeting at the Olympics, with the first Olympic clash being the Super Falcons’ sole victory in Olympic Games history – a 1-0 win in August 2004. Both teams have also met twice in friendlies, and Japan won both matches by two unreplied goals.