Head Coach Christopher Musa Danjuma expressed confidence on Sunday that the Nigerian U20 girls, known as the Falconets, will emerge victorious against their Mexican counterparts in a friendly game tonight. The match will take place at Club Banco de la República in Bogota.
Coach Danjuma reminded the team to savor their recent triumph over Australia but advised them to focus on the upcoming match against Mexico. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a winning mentality and highlighted the team’s impressive performance in their previous qualifying matches, where they secured five victories out of six games with comfortable scorelines.
Aware of the challenges that lie ahead at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, Coach Danjuma acknowledged the tough opponents they will face, including the Korean Republic and three-time winners Germany in their first two matches. He stressed the need for his players to be in peak physical, mental, and psychological condition. Danjuma expressed confidence in the team’s preparation and believed that a win against Mexico would further boost their confidence.
The Falconets dominated their African qualifying matches, defeating the Central African Republic 6-0 in both legs, and securing comprehensive victories against Burkina Faso (1-1 draw and 6-0 win) and Liberia (4-1 win and 2-0 win). During the most recent match, the Nigerian team narrowly defeated Australia 2-1 in regulation time and emerged victorious in a penalty shootout that was requested by the Australian delegation.
The upcoming game against Mexico is expected to pose a stronger challenge as the Mexican team has only missed one edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since its inception in 2002. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 3:30 pm local time in Colombia (9:30 pm Nigeria time).
Coach Danjuma’s squad has been further bolstered by the inclusion of several players who have previously represented the Nigerian senior team, the Super Falcons. These players include defenders Jumoke Alani, Rofiat Imuran, Comfort Folorunsho, and forwards Opeyemi Ajakaye, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, and Flourish Sabastine. Folorunsho and Ajakaye were part of Nigeria’s U17 squad that finished third in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in India two years ago. The Falconets also have goalkeeper Faith Omilana and forward Aminat Omowunmi Bello, who were part of the same squad.
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