The Nation Newspaper

Tag: quarter-final

  • Falconets arrive quarter-final venue

    Falconets arrive quarter-final venue

    Nigeria U-20 Women’s squad have arrived Moncton to prepare for Sunday’s quarter final clash against New Zealand.

    The Nigerian women team that topped Group C with seven points is taking on New Zealand which came second in Group D.

    The Falconets left Edmonton on Wednesday at about 11.30am, flew through Montreal and arrived  Moncton at 9:15pm local time.

    The team had a training session   at the Harrison Trimple High School pitch.

    This is the first time New Zealand has qualified for the knock out stage. The team defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in their last Group game, to qualify.

    The Falconets on the other hand have made progress in its previous appearances reaching the Final in Germany 2010 and semi-finals in 2012.

    The team is prepared this time around to create history.

  • Nigeria face New Zealand in quarter-final

    Nigeria face New Zealand in quarter-final

    Nigeria have edged England with a 2-1 comeback win to top Group C, leaving the Europeans to head for home. Nigeria have a strong tradition of success at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and displayed their fortitude by coming from a goal down to secure this decisive win.

    England opened in perfect fashion scoring in just the fifth minute as Hannah Blundell played a clever through ball for Nikita Parris, who took one touch and then clipped a shot past the advancing Nigeria goalkeeper Ibijoke Sangonuga from the edge of the box.

    The African champions drew level in an even contest four minutes before the interval after Loveth Ayila beat her marker with a skilful drag-back and shot powerfully from 25 yards. Goalkeeper Lizzie Durack got a hand to it but was unable to prevent the ball hitting the back of the net.

    The second half was a tale of two penalties, with England’s Bethany Mead firstly missing after Parris was adjudged to have been fouled by Sangonuga. Within minutes at the other end, Asisat Oshoala was brought down after dribbling into the penalty area and stepped up to coolly side-foot the resultant spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.

    England were saved from going further behind only by the width of the crossbar as Nigeria finished strongly in a match that ended amid joyous scenes on the Africans’ bench.

    Nigeria, who will feature in their fifth consecutive quarter-final, now tackle Group D runners-up New Zealand.

     

  • UEFA Champions League: Ogbuke gets quarter-final target

    Super Eagles and Schalke 04 forward Chinedu Obasi Ogbuke and his club team mates have been handed at least a quarter-final finish in the 2014/15 UEFA CL campaign and Germany Bundesliga top four finish.

    Club director of sport Horst Heldt challenged the Nigerian star and his mates to ensure the team goes as far as reaching the quarter-finals of the competition this season, as well as ensuring they qualify for the competition again next season.

    Heldt in a statement on Sport1.de believes only last season champions Bayern Munich are out of his side’s reach and as such has set his club’s sights very high for the 2014-15 campaign.

    “Of course when you have qualified for the Champions League three times in a row, then you are not going to settle for finishing fifth or sixth.

    “It’s going to be an interesting season and we want to get the most out of it. What that will be, I cannot say.

    “We want to contend for the leading positions. We want to go further than the last 16 in the Champions League and we want to go further in the DFB-Pokal too,” Heldt stated.

    Despite seeing league holders Bayern as the team to beat again this season, Heldt declared his side are not merely focusing on trying to get the better of Pep Guardiola’s side.

    ”We’re following our own goals. It’s a mistake always to compare yourselves with the others and orientate yourself around them. Many clubs are trying to send good teams into the season and it’s going to be exciting,even if Bayern are of course leading the way.

    “They are the favourites, but we have a good team too which has improved,and we are ready for our tasks.

    “We have kept our team intact and the younger player are now more mature.We’ve also got our long-term injured back,so we’ve not needed to spend money really,” Heldt added.

    The Nigerian star and his German side finished in third place last season behind title favorites Bayern and local rivals Borussia Dortmund.

  • Federation cup: Nasarawa United hit quarter-final in style

    Federation cup: Nasarawa United hit quarter-final in style

    Nasarawa United Wednesday booked a place in the quarter-final of this year’s Federation Cup beating Sunshine Stars by a lone goal in lokoja.

    Coach of the side Alphonsus Dike said Solid Miners side deserved their victory adding that the game should have ended 2-0 if one of the goals scored by the side had not been disallowed.

    “We deserve the victory we got, we worked hard for it. Sunshine as you know are not cheap, so it wasn’t an easy match we are happy to have qualified for the next stage,” he told SportingLife on phone shortly after the match.

    The former Enyimba and U-17 coach however said the team will next rest on their oars but intensify preparation in readiness for for the next opponent.

    “No match is cheap and every team that makes it to this level wants to advance so we are preparing and looking forward to our next opponent,” he added.

    Interestingly, Dike will be facing his former team in the quarterfinals as the fixture has pitched Nasarawa against Enyimba.