Head coach Moses Aduku has promised that Nigeria’s Falconets will give their all when they face New Caledonia at the Stadion Miejski LKS Lodz on Sunday. This match is a must-win for them in their final Group F game at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
The Falconets are currently third in the group with just one point. They started the tournament with a 2-0 loss to Spain and then settled for a goalless draw against China on Thursday.
Nigeria needs to win convincingly to improve their goal difference and boost their chances of moving to the Round of 16. This is important, no matter what happens in the other game between Spain and China.
Aduku mentioned that his team will not take New Caledonia lightly, despite their poor results so far. He also said the squad is in good spirits and there are no injury worries before the match.
"The results in their last two matches notwithstanding, we will not under-rate our opponents. I am happy because the girls are in good spirits and ready to go, and there are no injuries in our camp as I speak," he stated.
"We all know the implication of our not scoring goals on Sunday, so we will go in there and focus on scoring goals to stand a chance of reaching the next round. We cannot afford to go back home now."
New Caledonia, who are new to the tournament, sit at the bottom of the group with zero points. They lost 5-0 to China and 11-0 to Spain. Their coach, Leon Waitronyie, said his team will try to be more aggressive in their attack to find their first goal in the competition.
"We need to play a little higher up the pitch and try to score a goal," Waitronyie said.
Spain is leading Group F with six points, while China is in second place with four points. Nigeria still has a chance to progress either as runners-up or as one of the four best third-placed teams across all six groups, depending on how other matches go.
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