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The Super Falcons will today take on the Namibian women’s national team, the Brave Gladiators in a 2012 Olympics qualifier at the Abuja National Stadium.

Though victory is the major target, the Falcons will also be seeking to continue the goals harvest currently enjoyed by the country’s other national teams.

Last weekend was a good one for Nigerian football fans as the national teams found their scoring boots again; the U-23 Olympic team defeated their opponents 5-0 and the Super Eagles notched a heartwarming 4-0 and 3-0 victories over Ethiopia and Kenya respectively.

Going for goals

Perpetua Nkwocha, reigning Africa’s Woman Player of the Year is expected to lead the Falcons attack today as the team’s coach, Eucharia Uche, stated that she wasn’t be taking any chances. “We cannot underestimate the team (Namibia), we will approach the game with all seriousness because we want to win and win convincingly,” she said.

“We are ready for the Namibians. They cannot stop us from continuing the good run for Nigeria football. My girls are upbeat and in very high spirit and we will not let the nation down.”

Seven foreign-based players were invited by the coach for today’s match. They are; Effioanwan Ekpo, Emuje Ogbiagbevha, Rita Chikwelu, Onome Ebi, Ulumma Jerome, Helen Ukaonu and Faith Ikidi.

The largesse recently received from the President for their performance at the last African Championships is also expected to motivate the girls and particularly with a ticket to the Olympics up for grabs. The six-time African champions are thus expected to go full throttle against the Gladiators at the Abuja National Stadium pitch today.

The Falcons will also be using the qualifiers to prepare for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup that is scheduled for Germany in June.

In 2008 the Super Falcons hammered the Brave Gladiators 10-1 on aggregate in an African Nations Cup qualifier but that might be a tough score to repeat as the Namibians have improved and have promised to offer a stiffer contest today for the Falcons.

No pushovers

The Namibian coach, Jacqui Shipanga says aside any other thing; she believes the Super Falcons respect her team as it was obvious in their planning to field their best players in today’s first-leg qualifying match.

Shipanga said the fact that Nigeria assembled their strongest possible squad was a testament of her team’s recent rapid progress. Shipanga also added that her players were more than capable of holding their own against the Falcons.

“We are not called the Brave Gladiators for nothing,” said Shipanga. “If we can’t beat them, then we can learn from them.”

Also Queen Manga, captain of the Brave Gladiators said the positive morale in the team will push them to greater heights against their more experienced opponents today.

She told local Namibian reporters before departing for Nigeria that her teammates were in high spirits ahead of the first leg qualifier and the team is looking forward to showing the rest of the continent just how much they have progressed over the last few years.

According to Manga, the Brave Gladiators are feeling confident after comfortably seeing off neighbours Botswana 1-0 in a friendly last Saturday plus their narrow 1-2 loss against the highly rated Banyana Banyana in South Africa a fortnight ago. Manga said the team could even cause an upset against the Super Falcons.

Namibia are ranked 17th in African women’s football while Nigeria has occupied the top spot on the continent for years.

“We are not going there to lose,” said Manga, who is poised for her 34th cap today. Last time we were not well prepared. I feel that Sunday (today) will go very well for us. We are developing into a super team!”

While exuding confidence in their team’s ability to give a tough fight to the Falcons, Shipanga also stated that one of her team’s focuses is to reduce the 10-1 record the Falcons set in their last encounter.

Shipanga however admitted that a win against Nigeria would be difficult by any stretch of the imagination, considering the gulf in class between her youthful squad and the wealth of experience the Super Falcons currently boast of.

“The youngest player in our team is the 16-year old player from Eldorado High School, Albertina ‘Chicken’ Davis. She only started playing last year at the Zone VI (Youth) games. Now Albertina will have to play against Perpetua (Nkwocha), who is 35 years old and has participated in numerous World Cups. There is a 20-year gap between the players.

“The last time we played them we lost 10-1. I want us to improve on this performance if we can,” Shipanga said before leaving Windhoek for Lagos.

Theoretically, the Falcons and the Gladiators are only two stages away from qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

While the return leg for today’s match is billed for Windhoek in two weeks time, the winning team over the two legs will play the winner of the match between Ghana and Liberia.

Izetta Sombo Wesley from Liberia has been named as match commissioner for today’s game while the centre referee is Fadouma Dia, to be assisted by assistant referees Adia Isseu Cisse and Die Alse Sylla while the fourth official Amina Fall completes the list officials who are all from Senegal.