Photo Via @FIBAWC Twitter
The 2019 FIBA World Cup is finally set to start this Saturday August 31st in China. Nigeria opens up the 1st Round of Group Play against Russia on Saturday at 16:30 (GMT +8). The final twelve man roster was announced today.
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Over the weekend, FIFA announced the grouping for the upcoming 2019 Women’s World Cup. The Nigeria Falcons are in Group A with France, Korea, & Norway. Group A is already being considered by some to be the Group of Death, The World Cup will take place in France beginning on June 7th. Nigeria, who are ranked 39th in latest FIFA ranking, is one of three African nations in the tournament. Now that we know who we will competing against in the group phase, it’s time to get back to basics in order to the shock the world again.
The Lady Falcons defeated South Africa in the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) that took place in Ghana. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) organized the event. After both teams went scoreless in regulation, Nigeria defeated South Africa in penalty kicks (4-3). Check out the highlights below:
Nigeria had several players make the all tournament team including Tochukwu Oluehi (Goalkeeper) and Onome Ebi (Defender). This win marks the Falcons 9th win at the AWCON (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, & now 2018).
Next up for the Nigeria is to find out their bid for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. The drawing will take place on December 8th in Paris and we will provide an update on the Falcons grouping for the upcoming tournament.
In the Quarterfinals matchup yesterday, the USA defeated Nigeria 71-40. Nigeria led after the first quarter 17-9, but the D’Tigress couldn’t withstand the star power on the dominant Team USA squad. Ezinne Josephine Kalue was the top performer for the D’Tigress with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, & 5 steals. Nneka Ogwumike had 6 points and 3 rebounds for Team USA.
Despite the loss, this team has nothing to be ashamed of. They made history during this tournament and showed the world that Nigeria basketball (men & women) is here to stay for a long time. During this tournament Nigeria became the first African country to have three victories in a World Cup and the first African country to reach the World Cup Quarterfinals (for women African teams). The D’Tigress are just getting started.
The D’Tigress survive a close game versus Greece in the Quarter Final Qualification round today. Nigeria defeated Greece 57-56 to advance to the Quarterfinals in the 2018 FIBA Women Basketball World Cup. Evelyn Akhator was the top performer with 14 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, & 1 block. Nigeria was down 1 with :03 seconds left in the game. However, Elo Edema Edeferioka was able to draw a foul and made both free throws to give the D’Tigress the lead. Check out the highlights here:
Nigeria will take on the USA Friday September 28th in the Quarterfinals. This will be a great match.
The Nigeria D’Tigress earned their first ever victory in the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Nigeria defeated Turkey 74-68 in the second game of the Group Phase round. Sarah Ogoke led the team with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 steal.
The 2018 FIBA Women Basketball World Cup is currently taking place in Spain. After losing the opening game in the tournament to Australia, Nigeria responded today with an improved performance. Check out the highlights below:
The next game is on Tuesday September 25th vs. Argentina. If Nigeria wins this game, they will secure the 2nd seed in Group B (gives them better positioning in the Quarter Final Qualifications round)
We’ll keep you updated on the D’Tigress progress in this tournament.
After defeating Central Africa Republic 114 – 69 today, the Nigeria D’Tigers becomes the first team to officially qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Al-Farouq Aminu was the star player today during the game with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, & 3 steals. Here are some highlights from the game:
Nigeria is currently ranked 32nd in the FIBA World Rank. They should continue to rise in the rankings after this victory. The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place in China from August 31st – September 15th.
The D’Tigers look to continue their undefeated streak (8-0) in the FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers with a match tomorrow vs Senegal.
On Tuesday 6/26/18, the dream unfortunately ended for the Super Eagles. All Nigeria needed was a win or tie to advance to the knockout stage. However, a goal in 86th minute by Argentina clinched their spot to the next round. Despite the lost, the future is definitely bright for this Super Eagles squad. One of the youngest teams to compete in this year World Cup will have a lot experience moving forward in future international competitions.
Yesterday, I came across this great documentary that Nike Football entitled “This Is Naija: A Nigerian Football Story”. The short film discusses the Nigeria Super Eagles impact on the country and the overall impact of football on country. Andrew Dosunmu, a Nigeria filmmaker and photographer, who also created “The African Game” documentary, directed this film. I really enjoyed how the film depicts how the team and sports of football impacts the all aspects of society in Nigeria. Here’s the link to the film:
In what some considered a must win match, the Super Eagles got their first victory of the 2018 World Cup. Nigeria defeated Iceland 2-0 with both goals from Ahmed Musa.
Check out the highlights here:
The Super Eagles are currently in 2nd place in Group D and are now in position to move into the Knock Out Stage. If Nigeria beats Argentina on Tuesday, they will automatically advance to the next round. However, if Nigeria ties vs Argentina, then we need Iceland vs Croatia to end in a tie as well. Or if Iceland does win & we tie vs Argentina, we need to hope that Iceland does not win by more than 2 goals (goal differential is the first tie breaker in the group stage).
Soar Super Eagles!
The Super Eagles lost their opening match in the 2018 World Cup to Croatia 2-0. One of the goals for Croatia was an own goal by Nigeria and the second goal was due to a penalty against us as well. A tough way to start the tournament, but Nigeria still has a chance to advance if they can take care of business in the final two games. The Super Eagles had 14 shots, but only 2 of those shots were on goal. Check out the highlights below:
The next match will be on Friday 6/22 vs Iceland. Let’s hope for a better showing from our guys.
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