'We did all we could' — Super Falcons star Plumptre has no regrets over World Cup exit

Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre has spoken about her time with the Nigerian team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The 25-year-old defender was in sensational form for Nigeria as the Super Falcons reached the Round of 16, before losing to England on penalties, and she was keen to note that there were no regrets on her part about how the tournament went.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Plumptre relayed her feelings about the match against England, saying, “I feel as if, looking at the game, me personally, I don’t know what other players have said, [but] I felt as if, when the penalties ended, it was obviously very disappointing, but I felt proud of every player because we out all that we could.

“I can’t say that I left that game with any regrets because I felt like I gave all of myself, and everything that I was able to give.”

Despite not having any regrets, Plumptre noted that there were lessons that the Super Falcons could have taken from the game against England.

She said, “When England went down to 10 players, I think we probably could have been a little bit more patient with trying to work the ball, because obviously England then were just being defensive, they didn’t really have a lot going forward.

“They were almost trying to see it out to penalties. So I didn’t feel that we necessarily had to rush to find a goal. I always felt it was coming..I genuinely believed a goal was going to come.

Plumptre is set to join a new club in the coming days, after leaving Leicester City at the end of the 2022/23 season just before the Women’s World Cup.