Falcons fly to Cyprus Sunday for 12-team invitational tourney

Falcons fly to Cyprus Sunday for 12-team invitational tourney By Our Reporter Nigeria’s female national team, the Super Falcons will fly out to Cyprus on Sunday, as they get set to commence healthy hostilities in this year’s edition of a 12-team invitational competition in the tiny Island nation. Sports247.ng gathered that Falcons’ coach, Thomas Dennerby has rolled out a list of 24 players that will don Nigeria’s green-and-white colours at the 12th Cyprus International Cup, where they will open against Austria on Wednesday, before also facing Slovakia and Belgium in Group C. Asisat Oshoala and Ngozi Ebere are back in Thomas Dennerby’s squad after both ladies missed the team’s trip to China for a similar competition last month, where they lost to the hosts and settled for bronze in the third-place match against Romania, who earlier lost to South Korea. The nine-time African champions will now aim to take the top spot at the Cyprus Cup competition, which will hold from Wednesday, February 27 to March 6 in the Mediterranean country. After battling Austria, the 39th ranked Falcons will play Belgium (21st) and Slovakia (45th) to reach the next stage of the annual invitational. The Falcons’ full list of players are three goalkeepers: Tochukwu Oluehi (Rivers Angels); Christy Ohiaeriaku (Confluence Queens); and Chiamaka Nnadozie (Rivers Angels); as well as six defenders: Glory Ogbonna (Ibom Angels); Ngozi Ebere (Barcelona FC, Cyprus), Josephine Chukwunonye (Asarum AIF, Sweden), Faith Michael (Pitea IF, Sweden); Onome Ebi (Henan Huisanhang, China); and Osinachi Ohale (Vaxjo DFF, Sweden). Also listed are five midfielders: Cecilia Nku(River Angels), Amarachi Okoronkwo (Nasarawa Amazons); Ngozi Okobi (Eskiltuna, Sweden); Rita Chikwelu (Krstianstand DFF, Sweden); and Halimat Ayinde (Asarum AIF, Sweden), as well as nine attackers. The forwards are: Anam Imo (Nasarawa Amazons); Rasheedat Ajibade (Avaldsnes IL, Norway); Asisat Oshoala (FC Barcelona, Spain), Francisca Ordega (Washington Spirit, USA); Desire Oparanozie (Guingamp, France); Chinaza Uchendu (Sporting Braga, Portugal); Ini-Abasi Umutong (Brighton & Hove Albion, England), Chinwendu Ihezuo (Biik Kazygurt, Kazakhstan) and Uchenna Kanu (Orlando Kicks, USA). Dennerby affirmed that is another step forward in his preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, adding: “We must prepare very hard and then take it one match at a time during the finals.”