BY JACOB AJOM
Nigeria football will face yet another test tomorrow when African champions, the Super Falcons keep a date with their Cameroonian counterparts in the second leg, 2012 Olympic qualifier. At stake is the only remaining ticket for the second African qualifier, the other having been claimed by South Africa.

Nigeria recorded a marginal 2-1 win over Cameroon in the first leg played at the Abuja National stadium. Ordinarily, Nigerians would not have been bothered by this fixture because the Falcons have always had the better of their foes in the past but with the fast fading reputation Nigerian football has witnessed in the last two weeks, most followers of the game are jittery that the Falcons might go the way of the Super Eagles.

But coach Uche Eucharia dismissed such fears when he said that the Falcons would pick the ticket for the Olympics and bring back smiles to Nigerians who have been sulking over Super Eagles Nations cup failure.

Cameroon won the All Africa Games gold in Mozambique, a tournament for which the Falcons failed to qualify. At the AAG the Lionesses exhibited resilience, determination and thirst for honours. Against the Black Queens of Ghana in the final, they shocked their more accomplished opponents with their clinical finishing.

But chief coach of the Super Falcons, Uche Eucharia remains optimistic that her women are equal to the task. “We have done our home work and are good to go. We are aware Nigerians have been praying for us. We will not disappoint,” the former international emphasised.

Similarly, the man who was assigned to oversee the team’s preparations for the dicey encounter, Christian Chukwu re-echoed Uche’s optimism. “The girls are in good spirit. They have been hugely motivated and everybody want to play.”