TheCable

Asisat Oshoala, Super Falcons of Nigeria and Arsenal Ladies star striker, is excited to be back with the national team as they attempt to qualify for the 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) in Cameroon.

Although Oshoala, one of the continent’s most decorated female footballers, told TheCable that the Senegalese team, whom the Falcons face on Friday, are a tough opponent, she insisted that qualifying “will not be that difficult”.

“I feel very happy and excited about this. Coming back to represent my country, I think it is a very good thing for me as an individual. So, I am excited,” she said.

“I know that the Senegalese team is a good team but I think we have a better team. I don’t think qualifying will be that difficult for us.”

Oshoala urged Nigerians to forget the team’s inability to excel at the 2015 FIFA World Cup.

“Whatever happened last year has happened and that is in the past,” she said.

“But now, the team is better. It’s going to be a very good game for us tomorrow. Football is a game that anything can happen at anytime in. Sometimes, you plan for A and it turns out that you get B.

“Last year, I don’t think we were under any pressure as a team. I think we were just unlucky. We had a good game.

“The game against US was a good game for us. The game against Sweden was also good for us. The game against Australia is the one I feel we didn’t really do well in, but notwithstanding I think we were just unlucky last year.”

Reacting to rumours that her teammates might have sabotaged her by not cooperating with her at the World Cup, Osholala completely waved it aside.

“I actually don’t want to believe that because I didn’t see anything that has to do with them like that. We’ve been playing together for years.

“We played together at the Nations Cup, they didn’t give me attitude. I think everyone in this team, we are all professionals. I don’t think anyone will want to do that.”