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Super Falcons extend losing streak to five 

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Nigeria’s Super Falcons who since beating Cameroon 1-0 on 14 July in Casablanca have now gone five matches without a win after this Thursday’s 0-2 loss to Japan.

It is also their third consecutive loss to Japan after the 2-0 losses in friendly matches of 22 and 26 September 2013.

Nigeria have only beaten Japan once, a 1-0 at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Going into the early Thursday’s friendly match, Nigeria have lost their preceding four matches to Morocco, Zambia and twice to US.

At the Noevir Stadium in Kobe, two second half goals by Mina Tanaka condemned the Super Falcons to another   defeat.

A string of brilliant saves by first choice goal-tender Chiamaka Nnadozie kept Nigeria in the game in the first half, and the Falcons almost took a surprise lead when defender Ashleigh Plumptre struck the woodwork from a free-kick.

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Tanaka scored her first in the 65th minute, when she chest-controlled the ball from a free-kick and slammed past Nnadozie.

The second came three minutes later, from the penalty spot, after a harsh challenge from Osinachi Ohale on an advancing Japanese forward in the Nigeria area.

Both teams used the game as part of their preparations for next year’s FIFA World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand. 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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