Beating Canada Vital For Falcons World Cup Progress – Oparanozie

The world’s biggest women’s football tournament holds from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand.

Nigeria are paired in Group B alongside Olympic champions Canada, co-hosts Australia and the Republic of Ireland and face a tough challenge advancing from the group phase.

Randy Waldrum’s side will begin their World Cup campaign against Canada July 21.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Oparanozie said she remained optimistic that the team would do well enough to qualify from their tough group and make it to the next phase of the World Cup.

“Canada are a top team and the good thing is we have played them a couple of times and we know them very well,” she said in an interview.

“All the time that we have played against them we’ve had something positive to go home with irrespective of the result. Having them in our group is not bad, it just means we are going to put in more work and devise a means to come out on top this time because the last time we were in the same group with them at a World Cup they came out on top.

“This time we will have to change that and we have the information needed to beat them and we are playing them in our first which is very vital for us if we are going to get to the next round.”

The Nigeria senior women’s national team are in good shape ahead of the Mundial having won three consecutive games after snapping out of their seven-match winless run.

Waldrum, last Friday, named his final 23-woman list for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Onome Ebi, who was named among the players, is set to become the oldest player to appear at the World Cup after she turned 40 last month.

The Mundial will also be the captain’s sixth appearance at the biggest Women’s football showpiece.