The 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup silver medalists hammered Austrian
Women League top flight team, FC Wacker Innsbruck 4-0 in their final
pre-tournament friendly in Tirol on Saturday, with a brace from top scorer
Rasheedat Ajibade and one each from Adebisi Saheed and Chinyere Igboamalu.
A few days earlier, the Nigerian girls had spanked another Austrian top
flight side, FC Bergheim 3-0. Saturday’s match in Tirol was also watched by
Nigeria’s Youth and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung. Ajibade, who plays for FC Robo Queens of
Lagos and also featured at the last tournament in Papua New Guinea, top –scored
for Nigeria in the African qualifying campaign and is heavily touted to dazzle
the world in France next month.
Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala was the top scorer and best player at the 2014
finals in Canada, where the Falconets finished as runners-up behind Germany.
The U20 girls remain Nigeria’s most successful women’s team at global level,
winning silver at the FIFA World Cup twice (Germany 2010 and Canada 2014) and
bronze once (Japan 2012), and reaching the quarterfinals in Thailand (2004),
Russia (2006) and Chile (2008).
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Falconets will depart from their final training
camp in Tirol, Austria on Thursday for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, with
high level of confidence after scoring seven goals and conceding none in two
friendly games.
The four official host cities for the Ninth FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup
are located in the Brittany region: Concarneau, Dinan/Léhon, Saint-Malo and
Vannes. The Stade de la Rabine in Vannes will host the opening match on 5 August,
as well as the final match of the competition on 24 August.
Nigeria will battle Haiti, China
and Germany in Group D of the 16–nation finals, while Africa’s other
flagbearer, Ghana must negotiate a tough Group A against host France, New
Zealand and The Netherlands. Group B has North Korea, England, Mexico and
Brazil while USA, Japan, Paraguay and Spain fight things out in Group D.
The Falconets’ opening match is
against perennial foes, Germany (who beat Nigeria in the 2010 and 2014 Final
matches) at the Stade de Marville in Saint-Malo on Monday, 6 August, before
clashes with Haiti at the same venue on 9 Augustand against China in
Dinan/Léhon’s Stade de Clos Gastel on 13 August. To qualify for the finals, the
Falconets dismissed Tanzania’s U20 girls 9-0 aggregate, brushed aside Morocco
6-2 on aggregate and whiplashed their South African counterparts 8-0 over two
legs in January this year.
The Nigerian team has three goalkeepers:
Onyinyechukwu Okeke, Rita Akarekor and Chiamaka Nnadozie; six defenders, Glory
Ogbonna, Opeyemi Sunday, Mary Ologbosere, Joy Duru, Blessing Ezekiel and
Oluwakemi Famuditi, as well as seven midfielders, including Christy Ucheibe,
Bashirat Amoo, Peace Efih, Adebisi Saheed, Mary Saiki, Taibat Odueke and Grace
Igboamalu.The attackers are Rasheedat Ajibade, Anam Imo, Chidinma Okeke, Aishat
Bello and Gift Monday.
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