Comoros coach Yusuf Abdallah has challenged his team to improve their performance against Nigeria’s Super Falcons as they prepare for the second leg of their Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games qualifying tie.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference alongside captain Assimina Maoulida, Abdallah acknowledged the difficulty of overturning a 2-0 deficit after Friday’s first-leg defeat, but insisted his players would try to score the goals needed to turn the tie around.
With Michelle Alozie and Uchenna Kanu scoring for Nigeria in the opening encounter, Comoros must find a way to trouble the Super Falcons while remaining defensively organised in the return fixture.
Asked how his team planned to respond after conceding twice, Abdallah stressed that the immediate objective was to deliver a better performance than in the first leg.
“The goal is to do better than the previous match. So if we have to score three goals, we will try to score them,”
The Comoros coach said.
Abdallah Explains Comoros’ Tactical Approach
The Comoros coach also outlined his team’s approach for the return fixture, indicating that defensive discipline would remain important despite the need to score.
Abdallah explained that his players would seek to maintain the defensive organisation they showed in the first leg while looking for opportunities to disrupt Nigeria’s defence and create scoring chances.
“First of all, we stay as defensive as we were in our previous game, and we will try to disturb the Nigeria defence, and why not score a goal,” he stated.
Despite the challenge of facing a Nigerian side with a two-goal advantage, Abdallah will hope his team can combine defensive resilience with greater attacking threat in the second leg.
Comoros Coach Reflects on Playing Both Legs in Nigeria
Abdallah also addressed the circumstances surrounding both matches being played in Nigeria, admitting that his team would have preferred to host the opening encounter in Comoros.
However, the coach acknowledged that the situation was beyond his team’s control and said they had to adapt to the circumstances.
“Of course, we would love to have our first game in Comoros, but that’s how things go. So we have to deal with it, and we’ll see,” Abdallah explained.
Maoulida Reflects on Facing the Super Falcons
Captain Assimina Maoulida also discussed the experience of facing Nigeria in the first leg, describing the occasion as a memorable one while acknowledging the challenge posed by the Super Falcons.
The Comoros captain highlighted the stadium atmosphere and support from the fans, while recognising that her team spent much of the opening encounter defending against Nigeria’s attacks.
With the return fixture approaching, Maoulida and her teammates will need to offer more in attack if they are to have any chance of overturning the deficit.
The Super Falcons, meanwhile, will aim to build on their first-leg victory and secure their progression in the qualifiers for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.