By Daily Sports Nigeria on August 25, 2023

Thanks to a Round of 16 finish, the Super Falcons have climbed eight places to 32nd best team in the world, according to the latest FIFA Rankings for women.

The Super Falcons exceeded most expectations when they reached the knockout rounds of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand from a tough first round group that had Olympic champions Canada and co-hosts Australia.

They also stretched European champions and eventual World Cup finalists England to a penalty shootout to determine who advanced to the quarterfinal.

The Super Falcons have thus remained the leading team in Africa ahead of South Africa (45th), Cameroon (56th), Morocco (58th) and Ghana (59th).

Meanwhile, FIFA has just released the statistics of the most outstanding players of this edition held in Australia and New Zealand, and it comes as no surprise that African stars shone brightly.

Nigeria’s Christy Ucheibe emerged as the seventh-best tackler throughout the tournament, making her the finest from Africa with a staggering 36 tackles.

Ucheibe also scaled the charts, landing in the top four for tackles made per 90 minutes (7.4). South Africa’s Bongeka Gamede was not far behind, securing the sixth spot with 7.0 tackles per 90 minutes.

Sevilla’s Toni Payne held the mantle of the Super Falcons’ number one attacking midfielder, and the stats prove her excellence. With two chances created per 90 minutes, she stood tall as the best in Africa and among the top ten worldwide in this category.

Morocco’s Sakina Ouzraoui and South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana showcased their dribbling skills, each notching up six successful dribbles at the World Cup. This placed them as the best two Africans and among the top ten globally.

Kgatlana, besides her dribbling prowess, also had the most attempts on goal of any African, firing off 20 shots, although she could only convert two into goals.

She also retained her global ranking as the player with the most attempts on goal per 90 minutes at the World Cup.

In the speed department, Zambia’s Racheal Kundananji and Kgatlana emerged as the fastest Africans at the Mundial, clocking in at top speeds of 33.2 km/h and 33.0 km/h, respectively.

On the goalkeeping front, South Africa’s Kaylin Swart secured the top position with 14 saves.

Source The Sun News

Posted August 25, 2023

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