Coach of the Super Falcons of Nigeria, Randy Waldrum has promised to improve the national team following their opening match defeat to South Africa at the ongoing CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
Nine-time champions Nigeria recorded a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Banyana Banyana of South Africa, conceded two goals in two second-half minutes before having the deficit in added time through Rasheedat Ajibade.
The Super Falcons are now third in Group C of the ongoing 2022 WAFCON after Botswana picked up a 4-2 victory over Burundi in the other match of the group on Monday night.
Waldrum 'surprised' by Super Falcons attack
During his post-match press conference with the media, Waldrum admitted that the match against the South Africans was a difficult one but promised to get the team back on track for the remainder of the tournament.
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The Super Falcons coach identified the attack as one of the areas to improve in, stating that he was 'surprised' with the Super Falcons' performance in attacking their opponents.
Waldrum said: "We knew it would be a difficult game, it is the first game of the tournament and it is a long tournament. We have to prepare for the next games.
"I was surprised with our performance in the attack. We got a late goal and we tried to get back in the game, we are still positive.
We cannot panic - Waldrum to Super Falcons
The American tactician also highlighted that the team would study areas where they were exposed by their Monday opponents and fix them as they look past their defeat.
Waldrum encouraged the team to not panic, stating that the players' individual performances will be reviewed with the aim of making the right decisions before they face their next opponents in the competition.
"I am looking forward to how we can improve, we will look at the areas we were exposed and we will make those corrections," Waldrum explained.
"We can't panic at this period, we still have two group games and we have to improve. We will analyse and review individual players performance and make the right decisions in the next games."
Waldrum has now lost two consecutive matches against the Banyana Banyana of South Africa after also losing the Aisha Buhari Invitational Cup final by a 4-2 scoreline in September 2021.
The Super Falcons will face Botswana on Thursday, July 7 for their second group match in Group C before taking on Burundi on Sunday, July 10 as they chase qualification for the quarterfinals.