Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets, were dumped from the 9th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals on Thursday following a 1-2 loss to Spain in the tournament’s first quarter final game in Concarneau.
Aitana Bonmati put the reigning European U19 champions ahead in the 13th minute as the Nigerian defence line ball–watched a brilliant team move by the Spaniards.
Bonmati was close to a second from a fierce free-kick that struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced away to safety, while Eva Navarro forced a point blank save from goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie moments later.
Patri Guijarro doubled the lead for Spain just before the half time when she got the better of Rasheedat Ajibade who put her on-side from a free-kick outside the Nigerian box.
The hard fighting Falconets returned from pep–talk session in the dressing room looking more business –like, and they reduced the tally with a goal from Peace Efih minutes before the hour mark. Efih’s forward run saw her pick out Rasheedat Ajibade on the left. Ajibade’s low shot forced a diving goalkeeper Catalina Coll to push the ball into the path of an unmarked Efih, who cooly converted into an empty Spanish goal.
It was however not enough as the Europeans held on to qualify for the semi-final of this year’s tournament.
Eminent world citizens, including the President of Nigeria Football Federation and 1st Vice President of the Confederation of African Football, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, and ranking Member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Hon. Ayo Omidiran will cheer Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets against their German counterparts in Saint Malo on Monday.
The occasion is the opening match of Group D of the 9th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals, which began on Sunday and holds in France’s Brittany region. In Sunday’s opening encounter, Mexico edged Brazil 3-2 in an interesting affair in Dinan/Léhon.
Pinnick, who at the weekend received a letter of congratulations from FIFA President Gianni Infantino on his nomination as 1st Vice President of CAF, flew into Paris on Sunday from the United Kingdom before making his way to Saint Malo.
Respected lawmaker Omidiran, an illustrious financier and ardent supporter of women’s football for several decades now, is a Member of the House of Reps’ Committee on Sports and Youth Development and Chairman of the NFF Women’s Football Committee.
The NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is expected in Saint Malo on Monday, as the Nigerian girls get set to soar in a championship in which they have finished as runners-up on two occasions.
It is just as well that their first match of this year’s tournament is against perennial foes Germany, who edged the Falconets in the final matches of the 2010 and 2014 championships.
“It is a good thing we are meeting Germany in our first match. If you want to be a champion, you have to overcome strong forces on the way. We are starting the tournament knowing that there is no easy route to the top, and that we have to give our best in every minute of the competition,” Head Coach Chris Danjuma told thenff.com.
The Falconets delegation landed in France on Thursday, and trained on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, the team attended a FIFA Ethics Workshop. Their official training session for Monday’s clash with the Germans will hold at the Stade de Marville on Sunday afternoon.
Nigeria’s U20 girls the Falconets
Effervescent forward Gift Monday must play carefully in order to avoid a yellow card that could knock her out of Thursday’s clash with Haiti, having been cautioned in the Nigeria team’s final qualifying match against South Africa in Benin City early in the year.
However, the Falconets are loaded to the hilt with proven performers. Captain Oluwakemi Famuditi and Glory Ogbonna would be expected to keep things tight at the back, while Christy Ucheibe and Peace Efih would be saddled with the responsibility of pushing the ball upfront for the experienced and efficient Rasheedat Ajibade and the starry–eyed but clinical Anam Imo.
Nigeria take on Haiti at the same venue on Thursday, before closing the group D attrition with China at the Stade de Clos Gastel in Dinan/Lehon on Monday next week.
Coach Chris Danjuma has invited 35 players to the camp of the U20 Women National Team, Falconets, for the first phase of preparations for this year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals in France.
The list of players who have been told to arrive at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Wuye, Abuja on Thursday includes Rasheedat Ajibade, top scorer for the Falconets in the qualifying series, as well as goalkeeper Onyinyechukwu Okeke, defenders Glory Ogbonna and Kemi Famuditi, midfielders Folasade Ijamilusi and Peace Efih, and forwards Monday Gift, Chidinma Okeke and Charity Reuben.
The 9th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals will take place in five cities in France between 5th – 24th August 2018.
Nigeria’s Falconets have been drawn in Group D alongside Haiti, China and Germany. The Falconets lost narrowly to the Germans in the Final of the 2010 and 2014 editions of the competition.
Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets, will on Saturday take on their South African counterparts in the first leg of the final round of African qualifying race for this year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals.
The 9th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals will hold in five cities in France 7th – 26th August 2018.
To reach this stage, the Falconets overwhelmed their counterparts from Tanzania 9-0 on aggregate, before sending Morocco’s impressive U20 girls packing 6-2 after two legs.
The South African girls shot past Namibia and Burundi, and the reward for them is a two –leg battle with rivals Nigeria, with the opening leg at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday, starting from 3pm South African time (2pm Nigeria time).
Coach Chris Danjuma told thenff.com on Tuesday that his charges, who depart Nigeria on Wednesday night aboard a South African Airways flight from Lagos, are prepared to take the game to the South Africans in Polokwane.
Nigeria Falconets Training photo credit: Monica Iheakam
“We have been working very hard at training for some weeks now, and we are very focused on earning the World Cup ticket. Of course, we understand that the South Africans would be tougher opposition than our previous opponents.
“We are ready for them. Our eyes are on the ticket to France.”
finixsportsblog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.