Falconets head coach Moses Aduku has urged his players to take the positives from Nigeria’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign despite their painful 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Colombia on Sunday.
Nigeria fell short of reaching the semi-finals in Poland, but Aduku believes the Falconets made a strong statement at the tournament and provided encouraging signs for the future of women’s football in the country.
The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of improving on their previous runners-up finishes at the U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010 and 2014.
Aduku, who also coaches Nigeria Women’s Football League champions Edo Queens of Benin City, pointed to the Falconets’ impressive 3-0 victory over England in the round of 16 as evidence of the quality within his squad.
The former youth international believes the performance against England offered a glimpse of what the young players can achieve as they continue their development.
“This will be a great platform for the young players to develop and move to the next level. We saw the future of our players and I think the future is bright,” Aduku said.
The coach also urged his players to use their experience in Poland as a springboard for bigger achievements with Nigeria’s senior women’s national team.
Aduku believes the Falconets’ overall performance, particularly their display against England, demonstrated that the team has the potential to compete at the highest level.
“Many analysts were saying that we played better than Colombia in this amazing game that attracted a full-capacity crowd at Stadion Miejski LKS Lodz,” he said.
Although Colombia ultimately secured their place in the semi-finals with a late winning goal, Aduku maintained that the tournament represented an important step in the development of his young squad.
“This is a positive step for Nigeria and for my players as well. I believe we are capable of playing in the next World Cup,” he added.
With several members of the squad expected to progress into senior international football in the coming years, Aduku hopes their World Cup experience will provide the foundation for a new generation capable of helping Nigeria challenge for major honours.
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