WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Super Falcons plot sweet revenge on England
On 10 June 1995, at the Karlstad City Stadium in Sweden, England’s Three Lionesses edged the Super Falcons of Nigeria 3-2 in one of the final group phase matches of the 2nd FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in that country.
That year, as was the case at the inaugural edition of the competition in China four years earlier, there were only 12 finalists.
The narrow loss, coupled with the eight-goal trashing by Norway and 3-3 draw with Canada earlier in the competition, saw the African champions exit the competition at group stage.
On Monday, 7th August 2023, both teams will clash again, this time, at the biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup finals taking place in Australia and New Zealand (with 32 teams), and at the first knock-out round of the tournament.
To reach this stage, England defeated Haiti and Denmark 1-0 each, before spanking China (1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup finalists) 6-1 on Tuesday.
Although the Falcons pipped England 1-0 in a friendly in Norwich (England) on 23 July 2002 and then spanked the Three Lionesses 3-0 in another friendly in Reading (also in England) on 22 April 2004, the Nigerian girls feel they need to turn England back at the biggest stage, which is the World Cup.
Adaku Okoroafor and Rita Nwadike netted for Nigeria that day in Sweden. In the friendly match in Norwich, rapid winger Patience Avre got the only goal, and in Reading two years later, a Perpetua Nkwocha brace followed a goal by Rita Nwadike as Nigeria pumped the Three Lionesses in front of their own fans.
“The World Cup is the biggest stage and we just have to do it here,” assistant coach Ann Chiejine, who was in goal that evening in Karlstad, told thenff.com. Chiejine is one of Randy Waldrum’s assistants at the biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Attacking midfielder Toni Payne, said: “Anything can happen. We just have to go onto the pitch and do our best. We want to win and reach the next stage.”
The stage is set at the Lang Park on Monday evening, from 5.30pm Australia time (8.30am Nigeria) for one of the most anticipated Round of 16 games at this global spectacle Down Under.
The nine-time African champions are unbeaten in their last six international games, from beating Costa Rica at the Revelation Cup in Mexico in February, to defeating Haiti and New Zealand in a tournament in April in Turkey. At the World Cup, they have drawn with Canada and Republic of Ireland and beaten Australia’s Matildas.
England have lost one of their last six games – a 0-2 defeat by Australia in April. They drew with Brazil in April, and with Portugal in July, but have won their three matches at the ongoing World Cup.
Spain thrashed England 4-0 to move a step closer to automatic qualification for next year’s Women’s World Cup finals, with Germany booking their spot thanks to a comfortable 2-0 home win over Norway in the penultimate round of European qualifiers on Friday.
With the top teams from each of the four A groups qualifying automatically, Germany’s win gave them an unassailable four-point lead over Norway in Group A4 with one game left, while Spain and England are both locked on 12 points at the top of Group A3.
England’s hopes of securing a spot with a win in Mallorca were quickly snuffed out, with Patri Guijarro giving the Spaniards the lead in the 19th minute and Alexia Putellas making it 2-0 before the break.
There appeared to be nothing England could do to stop the Spanish juggernaut, with Putellas adding a second goal 10 minutes after the break and Claudio Pina putting the icing on the cake with a goal from a superb pass by Aitana Bonmati to make it 4-0.
England retain a chance of qualifying directly, but they will have to get a better result when they host Ukraine next Tuesday than Spain manage in their final fixture away to Iceland.
There was late drama in Group A2 as Ireland’s Amber Barrett netted a 90th-minute goal to snatch a 3-2 home win over the Netherlands to move above the Dutch and into second place in the group, one point behind leaders France, who beat Poland 2-0.
The Irish play France in their final game in Grenoble, with the Dutch taking on Poland at home.
Earlier, Pernille Harder came off the bench and scored the winner for Denmark as they downed neighbours Sweden 2-1 to end the Swedes’ hopes of qualifying directly.
The Danes top Group A1 on 11 points ahead of their final game against bottom side Serbia, while second-placed Italy, who are three points behind the leaders, next host Sweden.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s Falconets have been handed a challenging but promising draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after they were placed in Group F alongside former champions Spain, China PR and debutants New Caledonia.
The draw for the 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was conducted in Lodz on Thursday, setting the stage for the tournament scheduled to run from 5 to 27 September across four Polish cities.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s most successful teams at the competition, will face a stern opening-round test against European powerhouse Spain, which won the title in Costa Rica in 2022. China PR also brings a considerable pedigree to the group, while New Caledonia will be making their maiden appearance at the global finals.
The Falconets will be hoping to improve on their performance at the last edition and rekindle memories of their best outings, when they reached the final in 2010 and 2014.
Hosts Poland headline Group A alongside Argentina, Benin and Mexico, while defending champions Korea DPR begin their title defence in Group E against Colombia, Costa Rica and Portugal.
Other intriguing group-stage fixtures include Brazil, England, Canada and Tanzania in Group B, while France, Korea Republic, Ghana and Ecuador make up Group C. Group D features former champions Japan and USA alongside New Zealand and Italy.
The full draw is as follows:
- Group A: Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Benin
- Group B: Brazil, England, Canada, Tanzania
- Group C: France, Korea Republic, Ghana, Ecuador
- Group D: Japan, USA, New Zealand, Italy
- Group E: Korea DPR, Colombia, Costa Rica, Portugal
- Group F: Spain, Nigeria, China PR, New Caledonia
The tournament will mark Poland’s first major global women’s football event, with matches to be played in Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Lodz and Sosnowiec.
Six nations — Benin, Ecuador, New Caledonia, Poland, Portugal and Tanzania — will make their debut appearances, while Korea DPR and the USA are both chasing a record fourth title.
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Nigeria’s Falconets will discover their opponents for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup when the official draw is conducted in Łódź, Poland, on May 15, as preparations intensify for another campaign on the global stage.
The draw ceremony, confirmed by football’s world governing body, FIFA, will take place in one of the tournament’s host cities and will be broadcast live worldwide on FIFA+, YouTube and TikTok.
Nigeria, one of the most successful nations in the history of the competition, heads into the draw with renewed ambition after securing qualification for the tournament, which will run from September 5 to 27 across the Polish cities of Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
The Falconets remain one of Africa’s strongest representatives at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having reached the final twice in the competition’s history. The Nigerian side will now await the outcome of the draw to know their group-stage opponents among the 24 qualified teams expected to battle for the title.
Former Polish international and current women’s national team coach Nina Patalon and French football legend Laura Georges will participate in the ceremony, underscoring the growing profile of women’s football globally.
Speaking ahead of the event, Patalon described the draw as a defining moment for both participating teams and supporters.
“The draw always brings a special sense of excitement, as it is the moment when the competition truly starts to feel real for both the teams and the fans,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of hosting the tournament in Poland, noting that it could inspire more young girls to embrace football and further accelerate the development of the women’s game in the country.
The 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is expected to showcase some of the brightest emerging talents in women’s football, with Nigeria’s Falconets aiming to make another strong impression on the world stage
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