Nigeria’s female youth national team, Falconets will rely on a rich array of history from the country’s past encounters with England to defeat their former colonial lords on Thursday at the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup in Poland.
Sports247 reports that both countries are set to lock horns in a round of 16 fixture at Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, with Moses Aduku’s side buoyed by the fact that Nigeria has never lost to England at this level of international football.
They both battled to a 1-1 draw during their first encounter in the group stage of the 2010 competition, while Nigeria enacted a famous comeback 2-1 win on August 14, 2014 four years later – with goals from Lovett Ayila and Asisat Oshoala.
Incidentally, after their battles with England during both editions in 2010 and 2014, the Falconets went all the way to the finals, but lost to Germany on the two occasions, hence expectations that they could rewrite history in a better dimension with another stunning result on Thursday.
A preview by the communications departnent of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also noted that Thursday’s tie presents Aduku’s team with another opportunity to surge further in this year’s Mundial and edge closer to their envisaged first ever conquest of the championship.
The preview adds in part, “The Falconets booked their place in the knockout stages in emphatic fashion, thrashing New Caledonia 10-1 in their final Group F fixture.
“The result lifted Nigeria to second place in the group behind Spain, after Moses Aduku’s side had earlier lost 2-0 to (the Europeans) and played out a goalless draw with China PR.
“Aduku will once again look towards his attacking options, with SL Benfica (of Portugal) forward Janet Akekoromowei among his players who impressed during the record-breaking victory.
“Winner Onajite David scored a hat-trick against New Caledonia, while Ramotalahi Kareem was also among the scorers, as Nigeria produced a powerful second-half display to seal qualification in style.
“England, meanwhile, reached the Round of 16 after finishing in Group B behind Brazil. The Young Lionesses opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Canada before recording a 5-1 victory over Tanzania.
“(They) then suffered a 1-2 reverse against Brazil in their final group game (but) they ultimately finished above Canada on goals scored after the two teams ended level on points.
“(Thursday’s match) promises to be a demanding test for the Falconets, with both teams just one victory away from the quarter-finals. If Nigeria progress, they will face either hosts, Poland or Colombia in the last eight.”
