Olympic Qualifier

Super Falcons coach Uche Eucharia wants “dedication” from her players when they square up against Equatorial Guinea in a two-legged 2012 Olympic qualifier.

The two nations were pitted against each other after the Confederation o African football, CAF conducted the draws early this week.

The format has been slightly changed for this final phase of the qualifiers. Initially, FIFA had planned that the last four team’s standings would be paired in a group, where they would play in a home and away mini-league points system, where the top two at the end of the programme would qualify for London 2012.

But due to a congested continental fixtures, the format has been changed following discussions between CAF and FIFA.

The Nigerian girls humiliated Namibia 7-0 in the first leg match in Abuja a fortnight ago and registered a 2-0 victory in Windhoek at the weekend.

Equatorial Guinea held Morocco to a goalless draw in Rabat a fortnight ago and scored a 2-0 victory in Malabo last Sunday to set up a showdown with Nigeria on 26 August .

“We must show them (Equatorial Guinea) our worth, having seen them defeated a tough team like Morocco. And they are former African champions too, so they will prove a tough nut to crack, but what I want most from my players is dedication. Without that, we may struggle,” Uche said.

Securing the services of her best players has not been easy as foreign clubs are reluctant to release them since the games do not fall on a FIFA free days.

“It has not been easy to get our foreign-based players but I must thank the federation (NFF) for taking diplomatic steps to try and secure the release of these girls.

These are important games and we need our best players for them,” she added. The second leg is scheduled for the weekend of 11 September in Malabo.