Abuja - The Nigerian under-20 women
football team, the Falconets, on
Saturday in Abuja whipped their South
African counterparts 6-0, scoring three
goals in each half of the match.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that the match was the first leg
tie in the African final qualifying round
for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World
Cup.
The match played at the Abuja National
Stadium saw Asisat Oshoala opening
scoring in the third minute, with
Patience Okaeme doubling the lead
two minutes later.
Yetunde Adeboyejo extended the lead
in the 26th minute to end the first half
3-0 in favour of the Falconets.
The Nigerian side started the second
half as strongly as they did in the
earlier half, taking control of the game
with Grace Winifred’s goal in the 51st
minute.
Uchechi Sunday who came in as a
substitute took the match beyond the
visitors in the 70th minute, while
Halimatu Ibrahim added another goal in
the 89th minute.
At the end of the game, Peter
Dedevbo, the Falconets coach, said he
was very excited about his team’s
performance.
“My players were well focused to win
this final round. So, going to South
Africa for the second leg match will
now be just to consolidate on the goals
we have scored in the first leg,” he
said.
Dedevbo said he was sure his team
would definitely qualify and represent
Africa at the World Cup, having now
known the strength of the South Africa
team.
Sheryl Botes, the South African team’s
coach, blamed the weather for her
players’ performance, saying “the
weather was too hot for them”.
The coach however said her team did
not expect to be beaten with six goals,
even though they were well aware that
the game was going to be a tough one.
“We were not expecting six goals, even
though we knew it was going to be a
tough and tactical game,” she said.
Botes acknowledged that the Falconets
had a very good team which was well
experienced and physically stronger
than her team.
“But we will now have to prepare hard
for the return leg,” she said.
The coach singled out for
commendation the Falconets’ Asisat
Oshoala, saying she was very good,
tactical and very strong.
“The Falconets team is physically
stronger than my team, and the players
are also grounded tactically and well
experienced.”
‘But Oshoala is a very good player. She
is well grounded tactically. In the
return leg, she will be a threat to us.
But we will make sure we win that
match,” Botes said.
NAN recalls that the Nigerian side had
gone through the earlier rounds of the
qualifiers with emphatic victories.
They had beaten Sierra Leone 16-0
aggregate in the first round, and Tunisia
8-0 aggregate in the second round, to
qualify for the final round.
NAN reports that the winners of the
Nigeria/South Africa pairing will join
another African side and 14 others at
the seventh edition of the FIFA U-20
Women’s World Cup.
It will take place in Canada from
August 5 to August 24, 2014.
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