The Falconets of Nigeria concluded the group stage of the ongoing FIFA Women U-20 World Cup tournament in Costa Rica with an impressive perfect record, defeating all their opponents. They secured the maximum nine points from their matches, culminating in a 3-1 victory over Canada in their final group game on Thursday morning. Earlier in the tournament, the Nigerian team had also achieved narrow 1-0 victories against France and the Korea Republic.
Having finished at the top of their group, the Falconets are set to face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals of the tournament. In their last Group C match, Canada initially took the lead, capitalizing on a mistake by goalkeeper Omini Oyono, who mishandled a backpass from Jumoke Alani. This error allowed Kala Novak to score in the second minute. However, the Falconets quickly regrouped and turned the match around, with midfielder Esther Onyenezide scoring two goals from the penalty spot in the 24th and 32nd minutes. Substitute Chioma Olise then sealed the victory with a third goal in the closing moments of the second half, at 90+1 minutes.
After the game, coach Chris Danjuma Musa expressed his pride in the team’s resilience, stating, “It was great for us to come back from that setback, and also conceding first in the tournament. We showed character and spirit, and that would be huge for us going forward in the competition.” The Falconets will face the Netherlands in the quarter-final match scheduled for Alajuela at 1 AM on Monday (Nigerian time).
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