Falconets celebrate a goal against Togo, Wednesday, at the WAFU B Women’s Cup in Ghana
FIFA World Cup/WAFU B Women’s Cup: F’Eagles beat Italy 2-0, as Falconets thrash Togo 6-0, to reach knockout stage
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, Wednesday, completed two wins in two matches at the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina after beating table toppers, Italy by 2-0.
Also, the national junior female national team, the Falconets, continued their free-scoring form at the ongoing West African Football Union (WAFU) B Women’s Cup tournament with a 6-0 thrashing of Togo, Wednesday night.
The two matches were played, Wednesday night, Nigerian time, 7pm.
The two national teams have now qualified to the next stage of their respective competitions with one match to spare after bagging six points from a possible 9; they also top their groups from current standings.
For the Flying Eagles, the victory over Italy which had earlier last Sunday defeated competition favourites, Brazil by 3-2 now puts them as title contenders.
The Ladan Bosso side started the match with almost the same lineup that secured three points against the Dominican Republic, except for one change in the person of Victor Eletu who replaced Tochukwu Nnadi.
With the first half ending goalless, coach Bosso provided pep talk which spurred the team to approach the second half with a much improved display that paid off in the 61th minute when Salim Fago nodded the team ahead to make the scoreline Italy 0-1 Nigeria.
The second goal was scored by Jude Sunday in the 95th minute of added time, as the Flying Eagles ran away with a 2-0 victory to top Group D and also qualify for the knock out stage.
The match played at the Estadio Malvinas Argetinas, in Mendoza, was the same venue that hosted the Flying Eagles versus Dominican Republic encounter.
The Flying Eagles now face Brazil in the last match of Group D, in a game the latter needs to win to stay in the competition, but which the Nigerian side do not necessarily need after securing six points already from two matches against Dominican Republic and Italy.
Interestingly, all the Flying Eagles three goals in the competition have been scored by different players, including; Samson Lawal, Salim Fago Lawal and Jude Sunday, with an own goal scored by a Dominican Republic player, De Pena in the 2-1 win over that country, earlier.
In the other Group D match played, same Wednesday, Brazil revived their campaign with an emphatic 6-0 thrashing of the Dominican Republic.
The win sees Brazil with three points occupy the second position in Group D after securing a total of eight goals scored and three conceded and a +5 superior goals difference against the Italians. They now need just an outright win against the Flying Eagles, this weekend, to guarantee a place in the knockout stages, as Italy, also on three points but an inferior difference of -1 are almost sure of thrashing the Dominican Republic, same day.
Meanwhile, at the ongoing WAFU B Women’s Cup hosted by Ghana, the Falconets thrashed their Togolese counterparts by 6-0, Wednesday night at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
With two goals each from Amina Bello in the 11th and 59th minute, as well as, another two each from Flourish Sabastine in the 12th and 76th minute, one each from Esther Onyenezide in the 30th minute and another from Opeyemi Ajakaye in the 61th minute, the Falconets almost repeated the same scoreline as the one they beat Niger Republic with, last Sunday, at the same venue.
Falconets thrashed Niger by 7-0 in the opening group match, followed by a 6-0 scoreline against Togo which puts them through to the knockout stage and six points already secured to top the group.
For the coach Chris Danjuma Falconets, the team is replete with goal scorers with Esther Ajakaye’s hat-trick against Niger Republic plus a lone strike in the Togo match sees her topping the scorer’s chart with four goals, Amina Bello and Flourish Sabastine on two goals each; while Victoria Alani, Chioma Olise, Chinyere Kalu, Adaobi Okah, Esther Onyenezide, all on one goal each.
Falconets’ last match in the group will be played on May 28 at the Paa Joe Stadium, also in Kumasi.
