Nigeria’s U20 women’s national team head coach, Moses Aduku, says the Falconets must beat China in their next FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup fixture to keep their hopes of progressing in the competition alive.
The Falconets suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain in their opening Group F match, leaving Nigeria with little room for error ahead of their second group game.
Aduku acknowledged the importance of the China encounter, insisting that his players understand the significance of securing all three points.
“For the second game, we are condemned to win to stay afloat in the competition.
“Therefore, we are giving our all. The girls are aware of what is at stake.
“Anything short of a win will not give us a good result,” Aduku said in an interview with Ghanaian journalist Akosua Adjei.
Aduku admits Falconets need to improve finishing
The Nigerian coach also identified poor finishing and communication as some of the areas that contributed to the defeat against Spain.
According to Aduku, the team has used training sessions to address those shortcomings ahead of the crucial meeting with China.
“Some of the lessons we picked from the last game were that we did not convert the few chances we had.
“We have learned our lesson. We need to score goals,” he said.
He added that communication among the players has also improved after the technical team worked on the issue in training.
“Secondly, our communication was poor, but the girls have improved so far.
“We had a few lapses, and we’ve corrected them in training. We are good to go.”
Group F still open, says Aduku
Despite the setback against Spain, Aduku believes the Falconets still have a realistic opportunity to advance from Group F.
He argued that the final standings cannot be determined after only one round of matches, with Nigeria’s upcoming fixture against China potentially changing the complexion of the group.
“For me, I think our group is still open because it’s just the first game. It is after the second game that we’ll begin to think about which position we are going to take,” Aduku explained.
“From tomorrow’s game, we’ll begin to know if we are first, second or third.”
Falconets focused despite NFF changes
Aduku also dismissed concerns over the recent changes within the Nigeria Football Federation, assuring that the team has received the necessary support ahead of the China encounter.
He said the players and coaching staff remain fully focused on their World Cup campaign.
“Of course, everything is in place. We are focused, and there is no vacuum.
“There are people running the federation, and they’ve been talking to us. Everything is all right.
The players are good, and we are focused on tomorrow’s game,” he said.
With Nigeria needing a positive result to revive their campaign, the clash against China represents a crucial moment for the Falconets at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
