TheCable

The Super Falcons lost 1-0 to Mexico in the opening match of the ongoing Revelation Cup.

A late goal from Kiana Palacios was the sole difference between the Randy Waldrum-led girls and Mexico at the León Stadium in the early hours of Thursday.

The loss was the Falcons’ sixth consecutive defeat since their last win against Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Nigerians started the game as the better side with Rasheedat Ajibade stinging the palm of Itzel Gonzalez in Mexico’s goal within the first five minutes.

A minute later, Ifeoma Onumonu skied another effort after Ajibade had picked the pocket of the Mexican defence.

Falcons’ hold on the game was wrestled for a while then Francisca Ordega produced a surging run down the right side but her finishing could only find the side-netting.

It was all Mexico from there on with Chiamaka Nnadozie forced to save the team with a brilliant parry of Anika Rodriguez’s effort from distance to keep the scoreline goalless.

The Falcons failed to secure a foothold in the game and they suffered the consequence when Palacios finished off a tidy team effort in the 85th minute to give Mexico the victory.

Nigeria came into this game following a 2-0 defeat to Japan in October. A 6-1 aggregate loss to the United States in a double-header clash in September preceded that.

They had also lost their two previous games to Morroco and Zambia in the semi-final and third-place match respectively, of the 2022 African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON).

The Falcons will face Colombia on February 18 in their second game at the invitational tourney before playing Costa Rica on the final day.