But the former Shanghai striker assured that her side will get better in the course of the four-team championship in Antalya. I will appeal to Nigerians to keep supporting us. We desire more positivity and no negativity from them, Ordega told
Goal. This is a new team and a new coach. They should not expect too much from us, but we will not disappoint.
We will continue to do our best. Putting on the green and white is everyone s dream. Whenever we put it on, we should always strive to give our all. Even if we lose which will never be our intention, although I don t pray we lose anyway. They should rather support us than criticise us. It will go a long way to help us get better.
The former Louves Minprof star, who was one of
Goal s five Africans to watch in 2020 is known for her speed, fine movement and brilliant finishing for club and country.
Since her debut at the 2018 Cosafa Women s Cup, she has been a regular for the Indomitable Lionesses, with her last goal coming in a 2-1 Olympic qualifying win over Cote d Ivoire last November.
For Ihezuo, she is continuing her professional career journey in China, joining as a free agent after parting ways with Chinese rivals Henan Jianye, where she has been since 2019.
During her first season at Henan, the 23-year-old scored seven times in 14 league outings for the Chinese club before the coronavirus outbreak halted her appearance in the 2020 season.
Nigeria 1-0 CSKA Moscow: Ihezuo hands American born Payne and George winning debuts goal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from goal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Super Falcons started the tie on a high against Bakhrom Norsafarov s side as Ihezuo almost grabbed the opener off a fine cross from Toni Payne after just 10 minutes into the contest.
At the half-hour mark, Asisat Oshoala almost broke the deadlock when she snatched the ball on the edge of the area but she, unfortunately, slipped inside the box to miss the opportunity.
After the restart, the Nigerian side made a fine return into the match as Oshoala provided a perfect cross for Halimatu Ayinde to open the scoring for the hosts two minutes into the second half.
In the closing stages, Rita Chikwelu and Francisca Ordega combined well before connecting with Oshoala but the latter could not end her goal drought in five straight matches for both club and country.
I felt really secure - Former American prodigy Toni Payne reflects on Nigeria debut goal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from goal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.