Aduku predicts tough England test for Falconets - Punch Newspapers
Falconets coach Moses Aduku has warned his side to expect a tough test against England in the last 16 of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after Nigeria secured their place in the knockout stage with a 10-1 thrashing of New Caledonia on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports. Nigeria needed a win to progress after losing 2-0 to Spain and drawing 0-0 with China in their opening two Group F games, and they responded emphatically to book their place in the last 16. Ramotalahi Kareem opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Nigeria took complete control of the contest. Kareem went on to complete her hat-trick, while substitute Winner Onajite David also scored three times as the Falconets ran riot. New Caledonia managed a consolation through Joceline Kourevi, who scored her side’s first goal of the tournament with a long-range strike. While delighted with the result, Aduku admitted Nigeria would need to tighten up defensively against England. “We’re really happy with the goals we scored. We wanted to get through to the last 16, and we’ve shown that we can do it. We’ve shipped a few too many goals in this tournament so far, so we’ll be looking to shore things up at the back,” Aduku said. Falconets ready for England after N’Caledonia thrashing Nigeria thrash New Caledonia 10-1, reach U-20 World Cup knockouts Aduku says Falconets ready to conquer England now stand between the Falconets and a place in the quarter-finals, with Aduku expecting a demanding encounter. “It’s going to be a tough test. If you want to be crowned champions, you’ve got to win every game. We’re ready for the challenge,” he added. Nigeria will face England on Thursday at Stadion Miejski Bielsko-Biała in Poland. The Falconets have featured at every edition of the competition since its inception in 2002 and are in Group F alongside Spain, New Caledonia and China. Nigeria are two-time silver medallists, having finished runners-up in 2010 and 2014, while they also won bronze in 2012. They lost to Germany in both finals. Nigeria, Brazil and the United States are the only three countries to have featured at every edition, following Germany’s failure to qualify for this year’s tournament. Abiodun Adewale Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years
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