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Tag: Quarter-Final clash

  • India 2022: Flamingos target Q-Final ticket against USA in Mumbai

    India 2022: Flamingos target Q-Final ticket against USA in Mumbai

    Nigeria’s U17 girls say they foresee an interesting encounter when they tackle United States of America in Navi Mumbai in one of the quarter finals matches of this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals.

    The Flamingos lost narrowly, 1-2, to another powerhouse of women’s football, Germany in their first match of the competition but have since overcome stage-fright and were worthy 4-0 and 2-1 winners over New Zealand and Chile respectively.

    Navi Mumbai, a planned ultra-modern city that is only 25 kilometres from the Indian capital city of Mumbai, is the venue for this titanic clash set for the Dr. DY Patil Stadium as from 12 noon Nigeria time on Friday.

    Nigeria, who would be aiming to break their quarterfinal jinx at this competition, are up against USA for the first time at this level and this encounter is an opportunity for the West Africans to make history.

    Having failed to reach the semi-finals in six previous editions, the Nigerians set out to achieve the impossible, ending the country’s 14-year wait for a last-four berth on their fourth quarterfinal appearance.

    The Americans will hope to reach the semis for the first time since 2008 when they finished as runners-up at the inaugural edition in New Zealand.

    Impossible is nothing, really. On 25th July 2010, in Augsburg, Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets came from behind to defeat USA on penalties in one of the quarter-final matches of the 2010 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Germany. The match ended 1-1 and the Falconets went on to win 4-2 after a penalty shootout.

  • WAFCON 2022: Super Falcons target FIFA World Cup ticket against Cameroon’s Lionesses

    WAFCON 2022: Super Falcons target FIFA World Cup ticket against Cameroon’s Lionesses

    Ever-present Nigeria believe they will celebrate another FIFA Women’s World Cup ticket on Thursday night after a quarter-final clash with neighbours Cameroon in Casablanca that will determine who is guaranteed a place in Australia & New Zealand next year.

     All four teams that make the semi finals at the ongoing continental championship in Morocco would have picked automatic tickets for the Women’s World Cup, with the team adjudged to have finished fifth presented with another chance for a shot at a Playoff Tournament next year.

     Cameroon will come into Thursday’s encounter with the mentality of the yam pounder, knowing they have always been second best to Nigeria at this level, and a third consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup will certainly appeal to the Indomitable Lionesses.

     A 1-2 defeat at the hands of South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in their opening match of Group C last week Monday somewhat dimmed the shine of the Super Falcons, but they rose stoutly to the occasion and won their other two matches with six points and six goals advantage shooting them to the last eight.

     Cameroon also started somewhat slowly, drawing with Zambia, but they picked up impressively and their reward is what is actually the most anticipated quarter-final tie at this tournament.

     Both countries flew Africa’s flag at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Canada and at the last edition in France three years ago, but Nigeria are the untouchables, being one of only six countries on the planet to have participated in all eight editions of the quadrennial global showpiece.

     “We are ready to face Cameroon,” said Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum, after his Super Falcons arrived in Morocco’s commercial and economic capital, Casablanca on Monday ahead of Thursday’s encounter.

     Cameroon suffered a 6-0 spanking from the Falcons in the semi finals of the 1998 Women Africa Cup of Nations (which Nigeria hosted and which was the first edition) but things have improved a bit for the Lionesses since then. In the semi finals of the 2010 edition in South Africa, they were thumped 5-1 by the Falcons.

     Both countries contested the Final matches of the 2014 and 2016 Women AFCON. In 2014 in Windhoek, Namibia, the Falcons ran away 2-0 winners to lift the trophy for the seventh time. In 2016 in Yaounde, the Lionesses suffered a heartbreak in front of their cheering fans when Desire Oparanozie scored a late goal to hand the trophy to Nigeria for the eighth time.

     Four years ago, in Accra, both teams also met in the semi final stage. It was a tough duel that ended 0-0 after regulation and extra time, but the Falcons again prevailed 4-2 after penalty shoot-out on the way to their ninth title.

     Thursday’s spectacle in Casablanca is expected to be explosive, but Nigeria captain Onome Ebi says the Falcons are up for the challenge.

     “Of course, we know what to expect. The Cameroonians also want to go to the World Cup. But we have never missed the World Cup and we won’t start now. Our eyes are fully focused on Australia & New Zealand, and then we can start talking about the trophy.”

     Forwards Rasheedat Ajibade and Uchenna Kanu, on two goals each, are expected to start against Cameroon, with Coach Waldrum also expected to keep faith with most of the crew that decimated Burundi in Rabat on Sunday night.