The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Falconets

  • Falconets off to Dar es Salaam, promise victory

    Falconets off to Dar es Salaam, promise victory

    Nigeria’s U20 women football team Falconets, will go all out for victory in Sunday’s 2018 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying first round, second leg match against their Tanzanian counterparts in Dar es Salaam.

    A contingent of 18 players and eight technical and backroom staff, led by NFF Executive Committee member, Babagana Kalli, departed from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Thursday aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight. They are scheduled to connect Dar es Salaam from Addis Ababa in the early hours of Friday.

    A goal by wing back Lilian Tule and a brace from Rasheedat Ajibade saw the Falconets winning the first leg 3-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium penultimate weekend – comfortable cushion for the two –time World Cup silver medallists to approach the return leg with confidence.

    Coach Chris Danjuma told thenff.com before departure from Abuja: “We won the first leg 3-0 but that does not mean we will rest on our oars. We should have won more comfortably but threw away a number of chances.

    “The truth is we have to be more clinical in front of goal. After the first leg, we have worked on some areas that we realized needed serious attention, and I have confidence that we will get a handsome result in Dar es Salaam.

  • Obaseki fetes Falconets, Tanzanites after U-20 World Cup match

    Obaseki fetes Falconets, Tanzanites after U-20 World Cup match

    The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Saturday, hosted the victorious Falconets and their Tanzanian counterparts to an elaborate Dinner at the Government House in Benin City, to foster strong brotherly relationship between Edo people and their guests from Tanzania.

    Obaseki who watched the 3-0 triumph of the Falconets over the Tanzanites at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, congratulated both teams for their spirit of sportsmanship and the level of professionalism displayed by the match officials.

    He urged guests at the Dinner to see the soccer encounter as a means for promoting and strengthening the bond of brotherhood among Africans and not just a competition.

    He explained that his administration was determined to harness all the gains inherent in sports tourism by making the state the preferred destination for sporting events and develop young people who are endowed with talent for sports.

    “It is all about promoting brotherhood and Africa. The purpose of the game is to help us bond better as a continent,” the governor said, and added that as hospitable people, his administration was ready to accommodate as many Tanzanites as are willing to make Edo State their home.

    He disclosed that one of the strategies being deployed to boost sports development in the state is to discover those with sporting talent at a young age. “Our strategy in our overall plan to make the state number one in sports is to catch them young,” he stressed.

    In his response, the High Commissioner of Tanzania in Nigeria, Elias Mwandobo, commended the Nigerian Football Federation for the warm reception they were given in Abuja and the exceptional hospitality the Edo State government extended to them in Benin City.

    Mwandobo also commended both teams for putting up a good performance to the delight of the spectators, noting that the country was ready to play host to the Falconets come September 30 in Dar es Salaam for the second leg of the game.

    The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Rt.  Hon. Philip Shaibu, expressed his appreciation for the successful hosting of the match and emphasised that Edo State was not only a destination for business investments but the new destination for sporting activities in Nigeria.

    In his remarks, the Edo State Commissioner for Youths and Special Duties, Hon. Mika Amanokha, congratulated the state government for contributing three players of Edo origin to the U-20 female national team.

    The commissioner said the state was ready to groom sports loving youths who will represent the country both at national and international competitions.

    The Falconets’ 3-0 win was the first leg match in their African qualification campaign for a place in the finals of the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in France.

  • France 2018 Qualifiers: Falconets defeat Tanzania 3-0

    France 2018 Qualifiers: Falconets defeat Tanzania 3-0

    The Falconets on Saturday in Benin defeated visiting Tanzania 3-0 in the first round first leg match of the Africa qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in France.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two goals from striker Rasheedat Ajibade and a goal by defender Lilian Rule removed the steam from the visitors in the match.

    The three goals calmed the nerves of the home fans and supporters, who became restless as the Falconets wasted so many goal scoring chances.

    In the match played at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, the Falconets dominated from the first blast of the referee’s whistle.

    Nigeria first goal came in the 21st minute when Rule was fouled by Tanzanian defender Khadija Mohamed at the edge of the penalty area.

    Rule neatly converted the resultant free-kick, while Ajibade scored Falconets’ second goal in the 59th minutes.

    She scored after dribbling Tanzanian goalkeeper Migomba Gelwa, after a solo run from the centre circle.

    Ajibade made it a brace in the 62nd minute from a tailor-made pass from Sunday Anu.

    The second leg match will take place in Dar es Salaam on Sept. 30.

    The winners on aggregate will tackle the winners of the Morocco/Senegal clash in the second round in November.

    The 9th FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup will be staged in four cities in France from Aug. 7 to Aug. 26, 2018.

  • Falconets will put up a good performance in Benin, says Folode

    Falconets will put up a good performance in Benin, says Folode

    Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League, Aisha Folode, has expressed optimism that the Nigeria Falconets would put up a good performance against their Tanzania opponent in the U-20 World Cup qualifier.

    The match is slated for Saturday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

    Aisha who spoke to reporters while observing a training session of the Falconets said: ” The only way to reward Edo people was for the girls to put up a sterling performance against their opponents.”

    She stated that the event would impact in the economy of the state as well as send a very strong messsge in the empowerment of the girl
    child in Edo.

    According to her, “We are happy with what Edo is doing with women football. The Edo State Government is taking the leadership role for
    reviving women’s football in Nigeria. This is something we are pleased with that we have an executive governor and Edo people who have opened their hospitality to us to be able to put women football in the front
    burner.

    “We will expect the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium that has a traditional history for recording sucessss in football to be packed full to give
    maximum and moral support to our falconets.

    “We are confident that our girls will put up a sterling performance on Saturday. A performance that is commending.”

  • NFF appoints Danjuma, others to Coach Falconets

    NFF appoints Danjuma, others to Coach Falconets

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Christopher Danjuma as Head Coach of the U20 Women National Team, also known as Falconets.

    Danjuma will be assisted by Wemimo Matthew as 1st Assistant Coach,Mansur Abdullahi would be the 2nd Assistant Coach while Abdul-lateef Yusuf would serve as the Goalkeeper Trainer.

    According to a statement by NFF , the coaches are expected in Abuja on Aug. 23 to open camp for screening of players for FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying match against Tanzania in September.

    According to fixtures released by CAF, Falconets will take on Tanzania in Nigeria on the weekend of  Sept. 15 -17 while the return leg will hold in Dar es Salaam two weeks later.

    The winner over both legs will then confront the winner of the fixture pairing Morocco against Senegal in November, before a final round of qualifying matches in Jan. 2018.

    The Falconets have played in every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, since it was launched as an U19 tournament in Canada 15 years ago.

    The team reached the quarter finals in Thailand 2004, Russia 2006 and Chile 2008, before finishing as runners –up at the 2010 finals in Germany and at the 2014 finals in Canada.

    The Falconets reached the semi finals in Japan in 2012, but failed to reach the knock –out stage in Papua New Guinea in 2016.

  • NFF wants Age-grade teams to concentrate on developmental programmes

    NFF wants Age-grade teams to concentrate on developmental programmes

    ….Falconets recount hardship in Papua New Guinea

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has insisted that the Glass House has been able to manage the economic meltdown within the sports circles. The President, Amaju Pinnick explained the funds constraints by some age grade teams like the Falconets.

    Sequel to reports of untold hardship experienced by the Falconets during their sojourn to Papua New Guinea for the FIFA U-20 Women’s Championship, the NFF President opined that teams like Falconets should concentrate more on developing themselves rather than expecting huge financial rewards from the NFF.

    He said: “I didn’t want to speak on this issue, but when you call the Falconets, you ask, how old they are? If you are in the media you should preach that these young girls should concentrate more on their football rather than go to the media and talk about money. If Oshoala kept complaining about money, she won’t be where she is today. And people should always realise that whatever we do, the Federation is just a platform for you to excel and go to a club which is the biggest and the best. And that is just the truth.”

    Pinnick added: “Sports is all about money and the truth is that Nigeria is going through recession. I want you to name one sector of the economy that is doing very well because there is recession but give and take, we still give ourselves a pat on the back, we are almost in the World Cup, we won the only medal in the Olympics, we made our presence in Jordan, in Papau New Guinea. I don’t think we have done badly in spite of the challenges. We have a lot of distractions and challenges in finance, if you were the NFF President what would you do?”

  • FIFA Women U20: Falconets charged to fly over Spain

    FIFA Women U20: Falconets charged to fly over Spain

    UNICEF Country Director in Papua New Guinea, Mr. Olushola Ismail, has urged Nigeria’s Falconets to be resilient and display confidence when they face Spain at the PNG National Stadium on Sunday.

    The Nigeria U20 girls square up with the Spaniards on Sunday, starting from 7am Nigeria time. They require an outright win, and will hope that Japan do not earn a win over Canada in the other concluding match of Group B.

    Ismail, who visited the team in company with some executives of the Nigerian Community on Friday evening, contended that with positive attitude and determination, the team can come out with resounding victory to march on in the tournament.

    He apologized for his inability to be on ground to welcome the girls to Papua New Guinea and promised that the Nigerian Community in Port Moresby will continue to provide adequate support base for the team to shine.

    “I urge you all to demonstrate the Nigerian innate spirit to rise above challenges. Keep calm and have faith in your abilities. I am quite aware of the difficult situation of things, but I believe that with positive attitude and determination, you can fly high with pride.

    “The people of Papua New Guinea truly love you. I am proud of what you girls did against Canada and I know you can do it again.”

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    Falconets defeat Canada 3-1, set to battle Spain

     

    Goals by Chinaza Uchendu, Joy Bokiri and Chiwendu Ihezuo steered Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets to a 3-1 victory over the U20 women’s team of Canada in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday.

    The Canadians, who received a 5-0 hiding from Spain in their first match, went in front after only 15 minutes as Deanne Rose turned captain Ugochi Emenayo in the box and then teed up Gabrielle Carle to heave past Nigerian goalkeeper Onyinye Okeke.

    Rasheedat Ajibade, captain of the Nigeria U17 girls, was a constant menace for the Canadians, and nearly got the equalizer in the 37th minute. Eight minutes later, Uchendu brought Nigeria level when she shot past Rylee Foster from the penalty spot after Bianca St Georges handled in the box.

    Dedevbo’s girls came into the second half like a house on fire, and were in front after only 40 seconds as Joy Bokiri rocketed home from close range in a goalmouth scramble.

    Chiwendu Ihezuo profited from a poor clearance by goalkeeper Foster to double the advantage in the 74th minute, meaning that the Falconets can still progress to the quarter –finals, mathematically, if they achieve a win over Spain on Sunday.

     

  • 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Falconets set to redeem Nigeria’s image

    2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Falconets set to redeem Nigeria’s image

    The Super Falconets have vowed to redeem the country’s image in their Group B match against Canada today at the Beva Park Port Moresby after they were pummelled 6-0 in their opening game against Japan on Sunday.

    In a chat with SportingLife, the media officer of the team, Monica Iheakam said the girls had shaken off the grief of their defeat and were ready for the matches ahead of them.

    She said: “The defeat was indeed an emotional one for all of us. But we have moved on. The focus is now on Wednesday’s match against Canada and the girls have vowed to fight like wounded lions to redeem Nigeria’s image”

    Iheakam revealed that Coach Dedevbo Peter had urged the girls to fight to the end.

    She said: “The coach told the players that it is not over yet. He told them to shake off the grief because some cried. And good enough, they have snapped out of it. In fact, the female officials led by the team secretary, Dupe Shabi had to go to their rooms’ one after the other to talk to them.”

    Also, Falconets defender, Glory Ogbonna has vowed that the team would fight on and revive their World Cup hopes as well as redeem Nigeria’s image in Papua Guinea.

    Ogbonna said: “As a team, we have accepted the fact that we started badly against Japan, but it doesn’t mean that we have given up because all hope is not lost.  I believe that Sunday’s defeat was a wake-up call for us. If we had won or drawn that game, apparently the whole team would feel that we have arrived. Canada is a must-win for us and it is not negotiable.

    Coach Dedevbo said: “This is the time for us to fight till the end of the competition it would be fool-hardy for us to start feeling sorry for ourselves because it will affect our focus for the remaining games in the tournament.”

  • Ogbonna confident of Falconets revival

    Ogbonna confident of Falconets revival

    Falconets defender, Glory Ogbonna, has vowed that the team will fight on and revive their FIFA U20 FIFA World Cup trophy hopes as well as redeem Nigeria’s image in Papua New Guinea.

    Smarting from the shocking defeat on Sunday, Ogbonna, who plays for Ibom Angels, noted that the Japan experience is a wake up call to all the players to gird their loins for the Canada challenge. Fondly called ‘dependable’ by her teammates, the central defender stated that Nigeria’s footballing prowess and pride at the U20 Women level is at stake, vowing that Falconets would fight like wounded lionesses against Canada on Wednesday.

    “Collectively as a team we have accepted the fact that we started badly against Japan, but it doesn’t mean that we have given up because all hope is not lost. I believe that the reason for Sunday’s defeat was a clarion call for us as a team to wake up to the harsh realities on ground. If we had won or drawn that game, apparently, the whole team would feel that we have arrived.

    “Canada is a must-win for us and it is not negotiable. We have learnt our lessons in a bitter and humiliating way. I want to promise all Nigerians that we must redeem our image and march on in this tournament.”

    Nigeria will face Canada in their second Group B match on Wednesday, at the Bava Park Stadium in Port Moresby. Both countries are at the bottom of the table with no point.