By Amaechi Agbo
Nigeria’s U20 Women’s National Team, the Falconets, have intensified final preparations for their FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup final qualifying fixture, first-leg encounter against Malawi scheduled for Saturday, 2nd May.
Head Coach Moses Aduku on Friday expressed confidence in the team’s readiness to confront the southern Africans: “We have a full squad on ground and everyone is focused on the task at hand. From now, we will concentrate on team planning and tactical work. We are taking this very seriously, and I believe by the end of the match we will come out victorious.”
There is an overwhelming positive atmosphere in camp, with high morale among the players, and no injuries to contend with. Coach Aduku highlighted the squad’s depth and athleticism, noting the challenge of blending players from different clubs within a short period, while expressing confidence in building a cohesive and competitive team before the encounter.
“To our supporters, we plead that you pray for us as you did when we played Rwanda and Senegal in the earlier rounds. I believe Nigeria will smile with a ticket to the World Cup after the two legs against Malawi,” he added.
The Falconets have continued intensive training sessions in Abuja as they fine-tune strategies ahead of the first-leg clash with Malawi. The return leg in Lilongwe will take place on Saturday, 9th May.
Nigeria secured their place in the final round with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Senegal, winning 1-0 at home and 2-1 in Senegal, following another home-and-away victory over Rwanda (5-0 aggregate) in the second round.
Malawi hammered Guinea Bissau’s U20 girls 6-2 on aggregate in the earlier round, winning 5-1 in Lilongwe after a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Bissau in the first leg.
