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Tag: Moses Aduku

  • Poland 2026: Aduku expresses confidence as Falconets gear up for Senegal clash

    Poland 2026: Aduku expresses confidence as Falconets gear up for Senegal clash

    Head Coach Moses Aduku has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets, as the two-time FIFA World Cup silver-medallists continue preparations for the third-round FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Senegal.

    The past weeks spent in camp have been productive, with all invited players fully present and responding positively to training. The technical crew has focused on tactical organization, team cohesion, and overall strategy, and the players have demonstrated commitment, discipline, and intensity throughout preparations.

    Aduku emphasized that attention remains firmly on the upcoming qualifier, stressing the importance of securing a strong result in the first leg on home soil. Friendly matches have been vital in assessing and refining the team’s system of play, with focus on strengthening attacking play while maintaining defensive balance. He described performances so far as encouraging.

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    Nigeria will host the first leg of the fixture at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Saturday, 7th  February, with the return leg scheduled for Saturday, 14th  February in Dakar, Senegal.

    The Falconets, who also reached the semi -finals of the FIFA World Cup in Japan 14 years ago, will travel to Ibadan on 27th January to continue their preparations ahead of the fixture. While refraining from bold predictions, Coach Aduku expressed belief in the quality and mentality of the players, citing their competitive displays in recent friendly matches. He concluded by re-affirming the team’s determination to make the nation proud and secure qualification.

    The winner of the Nigeria/Senegal fixture will go into the last round of the qualifying series, to confront the winner of the Guinea Bissau/Malawi fixture, for one of Africa’s four tickets at the final tournament.

    The 12th edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals will be staged in Poland between  September  5th and 27th.

  • 2026 FIFA U20 WWCQ: Falconets resume camping for Rwanda

    2026 FIFA U20 WWCQ: Falconets resume camping for Rwanda

    New head coach Moses Aduku has invited 35 players to the camp of the Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets, to kick off preparations for next month’s 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against their Rwandan counterparts.

    The Rwandans will host the first leg of the second-round games in Kigali on Sunday, 21st  September, with the return leg scheduled for the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Saturday, 27th  September.

    There are four goalkeepers, 11 defenders, nine midfielders and 11 strikers on the list, with the cohort to resume in camp in Abuja on Sunday, 10th  August while training sessions commence the following day.

    Aduku has called a number of players who were part of the team that reached the Round of 16 at the 2024 FIFA World Cup finals in Colombia last year, namely defender and captain Oluchi Ohaegbulem, midfielder Joy Igbokwe, and forwards Mary Lucky Mkpa and Goodness Osigwe.

    Last year’s edition welcomed 24 teams to the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals for the first time. The Falconets defeated Korea Republic 1-0 in their opening game, lost 1-3 to Germany and defeated Venezuela 4-0, before they were eliminated in the Round of 16 after a narrow 1-2 loss to Japan.

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    Next year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals will be staged in Poland. 

    ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS

    Goalkeepers: GodsTime Elisha (Ibom Angels); Fatima Okolo (Rivers Angels); Sylvia Echefu (Bayelsa Queens); Stella Emperor (Adamawa Queens)

    Defenders: Oluchi Ohaegbulem (Nasarawa Amazons); Tumininu Adeshina (Naija Ratels); Folashade Adegbemile (Edo Queens); Sandra Nwibe (Rivers Angels); Marylen Edem (Nasarawa Amazons); Vivian Ekezie (Abia Angels); Esther Adesoji (Nasarawa Amazons); Prisca Nwachukwu (Imo Strikers); Motunrayo Yusuf (FC Robo Queens); Ramotallahi Kareem (Rivers Angels); Chiamaka Ezekuwugo (Bayelsa Queens)

    Midfielders: Taiwo Afolabi (Rivers Angels); Kafaya Mafisera (Edo Queens); Joy Igbokwe (Nasarawa Amazons); Yetunde Omotosho (Remo Stars Ladies); Esther Inyang (Edo Queens); Mary Aderemi (Bayelsa Queens); Favour Nkwocha (FC Robo Queens); Faridat Abdulwahab (Nasarawa Amazons); Adanna Nwachukwu (Naija Ratels)

    Forwards: Mary Mamudu (Edo Queens); Mary Nkpa (Bayelsa Queens); Goodness Osigwe (Edo Queens); Delight Isaac (Bayelsa Queens); Esther Moses (Edo Queens); Grace Saliu (Naija Ratels); Dorothy Eshiet (Abia Angels); Alaba Olabiyi (Bayelsa Queens); Tessy Ojiyovwi (Nasarawa Amazons); Precious Oscar (Bayelsa Queens); Daniella Fagbenro (Remo Stars Ladies).  

  • Aduku hails organization of CAF Women’s Champions League

    Aduku hails organization of CAF Women’s Champions League

    Despite a tough loss to FC Masar of Egypt in the third-place match, Edo Queens’ head coach Moses Aduku has thumbed up the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for what he described as a ‘perfectly organized’ Women’s Champions League tournament.

    The Nigerian champions, Edo Queens, were narrowly defeated 4-3 in a penalty shootout after playing out a goalless draw in regular time. This result denied them a chance to secure a third-place finish, following their earlier semi-final defeat in the hands of TP Mazembe, which dashed their hopes of reaching the final.

    Aduku, however, remained optimistic about his team’s overall performance in the competition. Aduku’s team had shown promise in the early stages of the competition, opening with an impressive 3-0 victory over CBE, before playing a 0-0 draw with FC Masar, and finally pulling off a dramatic 2-1 win over defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

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    In an exclusive interview with Sportsville, Aduku reflected on the lessons learnt from the tournament, particularly the need for his team to maintain focus throughout every match.

    “We gathered a lot of lessons in Morocco, one of the biggest lessons is that every game we play, we must play to the end,” Aduku said.  “That was one of the things that cost us in this competition—we lost hope when TP equalized us in the 90th minute of the semi-final.”

    Despite the heartache of missing out on a medal, Aduku remained upbeat and optimistic about the future. He highlighted the high level of the competition and the quality of organization, which he likened to the prestige of the World Cup.

     “I give kudos to CAF, the organization is good, the timing and everything. It’s a great tournament, and if I get the opportunity again, my major goal will be to win the trophy for Nigeria and West Africa as a whole. That’s my target,” Aduku stated with renewed determination.