BY CHIGOZIE Chukwuleta
Barely 24 hours to their quarter-finals encounter with the Champions-USA, the Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, Falconets have added new tactics in their training sessions, ahead of this potentially spectacular Sunday morning match at the World Cup in Germany on Sunday morning. Both teams have never met in the FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in eight years of the competition, although the Americans have routinely established superiority over Nigeria in the senior women’s game.
The Falconets were sent packing in the quarter finals stage at the last three editions of the championship.
According to Coach Egan Adat, the Falconets have a mission at the championship which included breaking the American dominance, a goal they earnestly want to achieve in Germany.
“The USA team is highly exposed and confident on the ball. Apart from the fact that they are the reigning champions, it is always difficult to hold your own against the Americans in women’s football.
“But we have a goal and that is to get past the quarter finals this time. It so happens that we have to meet the USA at this very stage, but that cannot derail our ambition. The Americans are good to be Cup holders and to have gotten to this stage, but we will not be pushed over and we don’t intend to lose”, said Egan.
The team has adjusted after returning to Augsburg, their familiar setting, from Bochum, venue of their final Group C game with Mexico that ended 1-1.
Nigeria drew 1-1 with England in their first match before edging Japan 2-1 and then drawing with the Mexicans, a result which saw the Falconets pushed to runner-up position and brilliant Japan eliminated.
USA finished top of group of Group D after drawing 1-1 with Ghana’s Black Princesses (who have been eliminated despite that result and a 2-0 triumph over Switzerland), lashing Switzerland 5-0 and piping Korea Republic 1-0.
The Nigeria Vs USA kicks off at 10.3 am Nigeria time on Sunday.