Tag: Falconets

The opponents of Nigeria’s U20 Women National Team, Falconets, in Saturday’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup third round, first leg qualifying match, Senegal’s U20 girls, have arrived in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

A delegation of the Lionesses de Téranga flew into Lagos on Tuesday night and were immediately driven by bus to the Ogun State capital, where  the team expectedly  held  their first training session yesterday.

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The Confederation of African Football has appointed officials from Uganda and Burundi to take charge of Saturday’s encounter, which is the first leg of the penultimate round of the qualifiers, with the winner on aggregate to confront the winner of the Guinea Bissau/Malawi fixture for a place at the final tournament in Poland later this year.

Ugandan Diana Murungi will be the referee, with her compatriots Immaculate Ongiera and Elizabeth Nassolo as assistant referees 1 and 2. Suavis Iratunga from Burundi will be the fourth official.

In the role of commissioner is Ghanaian Christine Ziga, while Berthe Minka from Gabon will be the referee assessor.

Janet Akekoromowei and Ramotalahi Kareem were again among the goals as Nigeria’s Falconets routed their Ghanaian counterparts 3-0 on Tuesday, to emerge champions of the WAFU B U20 Girls Tournament in Bénin Republic.

The Princesses, 1-3 losers to the two-time FIFA World Cup silver-medallists when both teams clashed at the same Stade Omnisport d’Adjohoun on Saturday, were unable to stop the rampaging Nigerians who were 2-0 up before the 25th minute, courtesy goals by Akekoromowei (17^th  minute) and Alaba Olabiyi (24^th  minute). Akekoromowie netted twice against the Ghanaians on Saturday while Kareem got a brace against the Beninoise on Sunday.

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Victory sprang the Falconets to nine points and plus eight goals difference (they have scored thrice in each of their three games) to claim the trophy in the three-team tournament, with Ghana’s Princesses on six points after victories over the host nation.

The Falconets will be up against the host nation today at the same venue, but the encounter is largely ceremonial as Nigeria have claimed the trophy.

Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, the Falconets, are gearing up for another shot at regional supremacy as Benin Republic gets set to host the second edition of the WAFU B U20 Women’s Championship between November 3 and 10.

The Falconets, perennial powerhouses in African women’s football, will join defending champions Ghana, hosts Benin, and Niger in what promises to be a fiercely contested tournament.

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Having lost the inaugural edition to Ghana in the grand finale, the Nigerian side is determined to claim the title and continue their tradition of excellence at youth level.

The competition, which serves as a key development platform for emerging female footballers, offers the Falconets an opportunity to test new talents and strengthen their squad ahead of continental and global challenges.

With Benin putting finishing touches to its hosting plans, all eyes will be on the Falconets to uphold Nigeria’s proud legacy in women’s football across the sub-region.

Nigeria’s U20 women’s team underlined their dominance in African football with a convincing 4-0 victory over Rwanda at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Saturday, sealing progress to the next stage of the 2026 U20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Falconets, who had earned a narrow 1-0 win in Kigali in the first leg, completed a 5-0 aggregate triumph to book their spot in the third round, where they will face either Senegal or Algeria.

From the outset, the hosts dictated the tempo with fluid attacking play and sharp movement.

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Their breakthrough came in the 13th minute when Janet breezed past her marker on the right flank and squared for Precious, who calmly slotted home to open the scoring.

Barely three minutes later, the Falconets doubled their advantage in spectacular fashion. Fatimah curled a corner straight into the net, leaving the Rwandan goalkeeper stranded and the Ibadan crowd in raptures.

The Nigerians returned after the interval with the same intensity.

Just on the hour mark, Janet Akekoromowei, who had been a constant menace for the visitors, fired a thunderous strike from distance. The Rwandan keeper got a hand to it but failed to keep it out as the ball nestled into the bottom corner for 3-0.

The victorious Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets,  have returned to the country from Kigali after their 1-0 defeat of Rwanda’s She-Amavubi in a 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying match on Sunday.

Alaba Olabiyi struck with 20 minutes left of the encounter at the Kigali-Pele Stadium to give Nigeria victory and the advantage in the fixture, ahead of the return leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Saturday.

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Players and officials yesterday landed  in the  Oyo State capital, to continue intensive preparations for Saturday’s final leg of the fixture, with players in high spirit, and eager to impress on home soil and secure passage to the third round of the qualification series. 

Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets, pipped hosts Rwanda 1-0 in a 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second round, first leg qualifying match in Kigali yesterday.

Both teams fought hard on the pitch of the Kigali-Pele Stadium, located in the Nyamirambo district of the city, but there was no breakthrough for either side in a gritty first 45 minutes.

Alaba Olabiyi scored from a goalmouth scramble off a corner kick in the 70^th  minute to give Nigeria victory, and put smiles on the face of Head Coach Moses Aduku in his first outing with the team.

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Both teams will clash in the return at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Saturday.

The Falconets’ delegation will return to Nigeria this  morning.

Two-time World Cup silver-medallists Nigeria will kick off their race to next year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals when they take on their Rwandan counterparts on Sunday, in a second round, first leg encounter in Kigali.

The Falconets are scheduled to depart the country on Thursday for the clash with the Rwandan U20 girls.

Germany, which denied Nigeria the trophy and gold medals in 2010 (Germany) and 2014 (Canada), and like Nigeria, had appeared in every edition of the competition since it was launched in 2002, failed to qualify for next year’s finals.

The clash with the Rwandan counterparts will take place at the Kigali Pele Stadium, formerly known as Stade Regional de Nyamirambo.

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The Confederation of African Football has appointed match officials from Sierra Leone and Liberia to take charge of proceedings of the encounter in Kigali. Aminata Fullah will be the referee, with Liberian Hannah Lydia Moses as assistant referee 1 and another Sierra Leonean, Fatmata Mansaray as assistant referee 2. The fourth official is Love Tuu Wehyee from Liberia.

Militna Ivanete Amrie from Seychelles will be the commissioner while Amegee Aissata Ameyo will be the referee assessor. 

Falconets of Nigeria lose 2-1 to Japan in the second round of the 2024 U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria’s Falconets have crashed out of the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup after a 2-1 loss to Japan in the second round.

A late goal from Olushola Shobowale could not cancel out Miyu Matsunaga and Maya Hijikata’s earlier strikes as Falconets fell short at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota, Colombia, in the early hours of Friday.

Against the Japanese, Nigeria failed to replicate the dominating performance in a 4-0 win over Venezuela in their final group game.

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Rofiat Imuran came close to giving Falconets the lead early in the game, but Akane Okuma, the Japanese goalkeeper, saved her effort.

Shortly after, Matsunaga put Japan ahead with a deft finish before Hijikata cushioned the lead a few minutes into the second half.

Falconets never looked like they could muster an appropriate response, but Shobowale managed to pull one back for Nigeria during stoppage time.

The late strike was too little and too late, as Japan hung on for a win, setting up that epic quarter-final clash with Spain.

Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has urged  Nigeria’s U-20 women’s football team, the Falconets, to face their upcoming knockout clash against Japan with courage, determination, and belief in their abilities.

The Falconets will battle Japan in the early hours of Friday for a place in the quarterfinals of the on-going FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, taking place in Colombia.

Senator Enoh commended the team’s impressive performance in the group stage, where they recorded notable victories against South Korea and Venezuela, finishing second in Group D, tied on points with Germany. He emphasized that the entire nation is behind the team, urging the players to take the fight to their opponents without fear or hesitation.

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“The Falconets have shown remarkable skill and resilience throughout the group stage. I have no doubt that they have what it takes to succeed against Japan. I urge the girls to approach the game with confidence and belief in their abilities. The entire country is behind you, and I have every confidence that you will make us proud. Play with your hearts and leave no stone unturned,” Senator Enoh said.

The Falconets’ journey to the knockout stages has been marked by a strong team spirit and tactical discipline, and the Sports Minister expressed optimism that the team’s fighting spirit will shine through as they aim for a spot in the Quarterfinals.

“You have already demonstrated that you can compete with the best, and I want you to go out there and fight for every ball, for every chance, and for victory. Japan is a strong team, but so are you. This is your moment to make history, and we are all behind you,” he added.

Women’s Under 20 Head Coach, Chris Danjuma , is optimistic the Falconets will give their best against Japan in the knockout stages of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals in Colombia on Friday.

The Falconets will in Bogota  take on Japan, one of the strongest forces in women’s football globally at the ongoing FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals,  after finishing second in Group D with six points from three games. 

Speaking ahead of the clash, Danjuma said: “The girls have worked very hard to get to this stage, and we are proud of their efforts. We will be taking the knockout stages one match at a time.

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“I must tell you that we are excited at the prospects of facing Japan and what that brings forth.” 

The clash between Nigeria and Japan will hold at the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota – where the Falconets played their first two matches of the group phase against Korea Republic and Germany – starting from 2am Nigeria time (8pm, Thursday in Colombia) on 13th  September.

The Falconets were eliminated in the quarter final of the same competition two years ago in Costa Rica by Netherlands- the last time the competition had 16 teams. There were 24 countries that began the ongoing edition before they were reduced to 16 teams for the start of the second round.