Nigeria’s Falconets gave their qualification hopes for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Costa Rica 2022, a huge boost after defeating Senegal 3-1 away in the final round on Saturday.
A hat-trick from Flourish Sabastine secured the comfortable win for the country’s U-20 women’s team.
Sabastine opened the scoring on eight minutes from a close range finish to put the Falconets in front.
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In the 56th Sabastine doubled the lead for the Falconets after tapping in a cross from Mercy Idoko.
And on 61 minutes, she completed her hat-trick,
sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.
And in the 89th minute Senegal pulled a goal back through Adji Ndiaye who converted from the penalty spot.
The second leg comes up in Benin City, Edo State, on March 26.
By James Agberebi
4 Comments
Great!
I’m so happy.
Love you girls.
God bless Nigeria
Congratulations girls!.These girls can play for real, all that is needed is for them to be more composed in front of goal.Kudos to the coaches for their effort so far.I am looking beyond the second leg already.How to make a good impact at the world cup proper is what the federation and the coaches should be worrying about.I did not see the Falconets goalkeeper almost throughout the first half, as she was virtually on holiday.
Get players within the age bracket abroad or where ever to beef up the team and they will be ready to go.
One is almost left asking this question: are we in 1999 or 2022? Trust me, in this day and age, it passes belief how a female Nigerian national team from any age group can continue to leave continental devastation in its wake like this current Falconets squad.
Not content to be the only African team to have attended all under-20 FIFA women’s world cup and make the most appreciable impact in that tournament to date, the Falconets are on course again to qualify for the next installment of the tournament this year after sweeping Senegal aside in their own backyard with a compelling 3:1 victory this weekend.
With so much attention on merciless Mercy Ikodo before this first leg away match, it was fabulous Flourish Sebastian who flourished the most with her first hat-trick of this campaign in 8, 56 and 61 minutes. The Edo Queens FC dashing winger has now scored a total of five goals for Nigeria in this qualifying series.
Just as the Falconets thought they were heading for their 6th clean sheet in a row, that hope was effectively dashed by Adji Ndiaye’s 89th minute goal from the penalty spot for the hosts.
Senegal 1-3 Nigeria it ended.
Despite the minor irritation of the one goal conceded, this still remains an incredible campaign for the ladies from Nigeria who have been nothing but relentless from the off.
And, even though this particular encounter is just the first leg, it is impossible to see how Senegal – despite how impressive they themselves have been – can overturn this two goals deficit that confronts them in Benin in a fortnight.
Without being reckless or arrogant, the winners of this encounter across two legs are already known.
In this weekend’s first leg, the Falconets started like a house on fire, ready to settle the entire encounter in the first leg. Despite their urgency, they only managed one goal before halftime.
But they made up for very many missed opportunities in the second half with two more goals that put the outcome of the game beyond doubt despite the consolation goal from the hosts.
To be honest, one has to be impressed and proud in equal measure of this Falconets outfit. They have some truly skilful and gifted players in their ranks. Watching them play today, they were confident and comfortable with the ball. They had a game plan and stuck to it. They were positionally astute and tactically dialled in. They surely know how to hurt teams while at the same time keeping it tight at the back.
With zero defeat and a basket load of goals across 6 games, Coach Danjuma’s girls have been truly unstoppable.
To be this dominant in African football at their level is just a crime. They have no right to upend teams the way they do.
These ones have gone beyond the bounds of wickedness: dowsing teams in the flames of hopelessness, dashing hopes with reckless abandonment and decapitating the chances of their opponents with pitiless savagery; wherever you turn, there have been Falconets’ victims at every turn.
Just imagine, after crushing Congo 4:0 in the first leg of their penultimate qualifiers, the severely
disheartened East Africans threw in the towel and didn’t bother to show up for the return leg!
The Under-20 women’s world cup beckons for these impressive Nigerian ladies. They have already attained second place on two occasions – both against Germany. Based on how they play, they have a realistic chance of going far in this tournament.
Can they win it? Only time will tell.
But they still have the formality second leg against Senegal to come up in a fortnight. After that, let the world cup dream begin!
This class of falconets are ruthless in front of goal and hardly concedes,a very potent and disciplined side.
They have showed promise in this playoffs a performance of class.
I won’t be surprised if this team goes all the way in Costa Rica.