Nigeria’s female youth national team, Falconets’ coach, Moses Aduku has come our with an affirmative statement that his players will go all out for victory against Colombia on Sunday because it is ‘an extraordinary opportunity for them to write their names in gold.’
READ ALSO: Falconets Receive ‘Motivation Money’ Ahead Of Sunday’s Quarter-finals Clash With Colombia
Sports247 reports that the ex-youth international acknowledged that Thursday’s emphatic 3-0 victory over England in their round of 16 clash was a bold statement from his players, but he equally admitted that Colombia will also come out strong during their quarter-finals tie.
As both teams get set for their last-eight fixture at this year’s FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup, Aduku assured all Nigerians that his players will not take their opponents for granted, especially as the South Americans sent hosts Poland packing on Thursday, which he reckoned means they are no pushover.
The soft-spoken, dark-skinned and tall tactician, who coached Edo Queens of Benin City to win the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) earlier this year, disclosed further that he and his players quickly cut short celebrations of their victory over England in order to focus on how to defeat Colombia.
The Falconets are also boosted with history on their side, as Nigeria’s squad of 2010 defeated Colombia 1-0 to reach that year’s final, which they lost to Germany, then fell to the same European team in the last game of the 2014 edition as well.
This time out, they now return to familiar terrain in Łódź, further boosted with the symbolic memory of how the squad of 2010 had also defeated England before facing Colombia on their way to the final, thereby taking expectations high that history will repeat itself.
However, Aduku declared that history will not play Sunday’s game for him and stressed that his girls will not enter the pitch at Municipal Stadium with any sense of overconfidence, as they will instead play their hearts out for victory.
“It will be unwise for us to keep thinking of the win over England. We cut short our celebration immediately in the dressing room to focus on the encounter with Colombia. The Colombians sent out the host nation and will not be a walk-in-the-park.
“We must put our best foot forward, contest every ball and go for victory. The girls realise that this is an extraordinary opportunity for them to write their names in gold in Nigerian football,” Aduku affirmed.
Sports247 reports further that both sides are almost equal on current form, as Colombia have also lost a match at this ongoing competition, while the Falconets defeated Poland 1-0 during a pre-tournament friendly, and Sunday’s opponent achieved the same result in eliminating the hosts on Thursday.
