Nigeria’s Falconets will begin their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign on Monday (today) when they face defending champions Spain in their opening Group F fixture at the Stadion Sosnowiec in Poland.
The encounter is scheduled to kick off at 5pm local time, 4pm Nigerian time, with Falconets head coach Moses Aduku insisting that his team are determined to begin the tournament with a victory.
Aduku said the players would approach the clash as a cup final as they target all three points against the Spaniards.
“We are looking forward to the match against Spain with high expectations. We are ready and set to go. Spain is a good side no doubt. However, we will approach the game like a Cup final because we want to win,” Aduku said.
The coach added that victory over Spain would give Nigeria an early advantage ahead of their remaining Group F fixtures against China and New Caledonia.
Spain have established themselves as one of the leading teams in the competition in recent years. They finished runners-up in 2018 before going on to win the title in Costa Rica two years later.
The Falconets, meanwhile, also boast an impressive record at the tournament, having finished runners-up on two occasions.
Nigeria first reached the final in 2010 but lost to hosts Germany before making another appearance in the final in 2014, where they were defeated by Germany after extra time.
With both nations possessing strong records at the U-20 World Cup, the Falconets will be hoping to make an early statement by defeating the defending champions and taking control of Group F.
Nigeria’s remaining group matches against China and New Caledonia are scheduled for Thursday and Sunday respectively.
