Nigeria Falconets head coach Moses Aduku believes England underestimated his team before their emphatic 3-0 victory in the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Footynaija.com reports.
The Nigerian youngsters delivered an impressive performance on Thursday to eliminate England and secure their place in the quarter-finals of the tournament with the victory marking a remarkable turnaround for the Falconets, who had endured a difficult start to their campaign before finding their rhythm in the competition.
Nigeria suffered defeat to Spain in their opening match and settled for a draw against China, but a record-breaking 10–1 victory over New Caledonia secured their progress to the knockout stage.
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Despite entering the clash with England as underdogs, Aduku’s side produced a commanding display to book their place in the last eight. Tosin Rafiu opened the scoring in the eighth minute after intercepting a pass and finishing past England goalkeeper Katie Cox.
Goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma then played a crucial role in protecting Nigeria’s advantage, making several important saves, including a penalty stop. Janet Akekoromowei and Mary Mamudu added second-half goals to complete the convincing victory and send the Falconets into the quarter-finals.
Reflecting on the result, Aduku suggested that England failed to anticipate the level of performance Nigeria could produce.
“The English team is a very good side, and I think they underrated us; they never believed that we could play up to this level,” the Falconets coach said after the match.
“But I said after the group stage that the World Cup is just starting.”
With Nigeria now preparing for a quarter-final meeting with Colombia, Aduku has urged his players to remain focused and avoid dwelling on their latest triumph.
“(After the game) I told the players, this game is gone. Let’s have a short celebration because we have the next game to play, so let’s focus on the next one.”
The Falconets, who have finished as runners-up twice at the tournament, in 2010 and 2014, will be hoping to take another step towards securing their first-ever U-20 Women’s World Cup title when they face Colombia on Sunday.
