National Teams
‘Nigeria could have won the 2023 Women’s World Cup’ – Esther Okoronkwo
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Nigeria forward, Esther Okoronkwo believes that the senior women’s national team could have won the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Super Falcons reached the Round of 16 and bowed out of the tournament on penalties to European champions, England.
The nine-time African champions played four games without a loss in regulation time and kept three clean sheets in the process to the amazement of UDG Tenerife forward.
“It was nice and good. We lost on penalties to England at the World Cup. We could have won the World Cup but there is another four years,” Okoronkwo posited in an interview posted on UDG Tenerife X handle.
Against the expectations of bookmakers, the lowest-ranked team in Group A, Nigeria sailed through Olympic champions, Canada, co-host Australia, and the Republic of Ireland to make it to the Round of 16.
“We needed to prove the doubters wrong because no one believed us before the World Cup.” She continued.
“We didn’t lose to Canada, Australia, and Ireland. The fact that we didn’t lose a game at the World Cup except on penalties was really amazing.” He concluded.
Spain won their first World title in their third World Cup appearance after a 1-0 win over England in the final.
The Super Falcons have played at all editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since 1991 and can only boast of a quarter-final finish in 1999.
Like a Biblical saying that “the age of Methuselah [969 years] had nothing to do in Babylon”, Super Falcons ever-present appearance at the FIFA Women’s World has not snow balled into any podium finish.
It is left to be seen if the corner can be turned at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
