Guingamp of France striker, Desire Oparanozie has declared that she has turned her attention fully on the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup, in the county where she plies her trade at club level.
Oparanozie made her thoughts known just before the squad boarded a plane out of Vienna airport in Austria to France, where they will play their first match of the championship against Norway on Saturday.
The Nigerian team left the Austrian capital early Tuesday following a night in the city, after leaving their pre-championship training base at Avita Resort early Monday.
The competition opens Friday, with hosts, France taking on Nigeria’s other Group A rivals, South Korea, and Oparanozie admits the nine-time African champions will also need a touch of luck to pull through.
The all-action striker went on to hint that the Falcons will need profound prayers from all Nigerians in order to make a major impact in France, considering that they have soared through the group stage only once out of eight appearances at the WWC.
The only time the team made it beyond the group stage was at USA ’99, with the like of top scorer, Mercy Akide, and eternal youngest player in the competition’s history, Ifeanyi Chiejine, in the squad that reached the quarter-finals, before losing to Brazil via a golden goal in extra time.
That is the tart Oparanozie and her colleagues will try to equal and then try to surpass this year in France, where the enterprising former youth international believes she can bring to bear of the Nigerian team the same aura she has been able to achieve with her club in the league.
She stated as much with a post on social media, as the lanky lass, who has been selected by coach of the side, Thomas Dennerby, to captain the team at France 2019, further declared that they are all ready to play.
Oparanozie added that their sight and mind is full focused on doing well at the Female Mundial, and stated in her post: “All road leads to France. We are ready. Wish us luck.”
