By Dorcas Francis Koji
Nigeria U-20 women’s coach Moses Aduku says winning the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup has been his target from the moment he took charge of the Falconets, as Nigeria prepare to face England in the round of 16 in Poland on Thursday.
The Falconets will meet England at Stadion Miejski Bielsko-Biała, with Aduku maintaining that his team’s ultimate ambition remains lifting the trophy despite the difficult challenge presented by their European opponents.
Aduku revealed that he made his expectations clear to the players and backroom staff immediately after his appointment, insisting that everyone involved understood the scale of the ambition.
“It will not surprise us. Right from the first day I was appointed, I made it clear to the players and the backroom staff that my vision is to win the World Cup. And I told them they could back out if they were not ready,” Aduku said.
The coach added that even if Nigeria overcome England, the team must quickly turn its attention to the next challenge rather than dwell on the result.
“So, if we win by Thursday, it will not be a surprise for me, and the celebrations will end on the pitch, and we will focus on the next game. We will make Nigeria proud, by God’s grace,” he added.
Nigeria secured their place in the knockout stages in emphatic fashion, thrashing New Caledonia 10-1 in their final group game last Sunday.
The Falconets had opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Spain before playing out a goalless draw against China, leaving them needing a strong result against New Caledonia to progress.
Ramotalahi Kareem led the scoring charge with a hat-trick after opening the floodgates from the penalty spot, while substitute Winner Onajite David also scored three times in the comprehensive victory.
Ahead of the England encounter, Aduku said the team had returned to training with particular attention on both finishing and defensive organisation.
“We have been back in training and working on goal scoring and defending. This is the future for Nigeria because after this level, they will move to the next level of their careers,” he said.
The Falconets are one of the most consistent teams in the history of the competition, having appeared at every edition since the tournament began in 2002.
Nigeria have finished runners-up twice, in 2010 and 2014, while also claiming a bronze medal in 2012. Both final defeats came against Germany.
The Falconets will therefore be seeking to take another step towards a maiden world title when they face England, with Aduku and his players determined to keep their championship dream alive.
Nigeria, Brazil and the United States remain the only teams to have featured at every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, following Germany’s failure to qualify for this year’s tournament.
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