Japan forward, Maya Hijikata, says she and teammates will give their all against the Falconets of Nigeria in the Round of 16 at the ongoing Colombia 2024 FIFA U-20 World Cup, reports Completesports.com.
The Young Nadeshiko will confront Chris Danjuma’s side at the Metropolitano Techo Stadium, Bogota on Friday, September 13.
The encounter will kick-off at 8pm local time, 2am West African time (Friday morning).
Michihisa Kano’s side won all three group matches, but Hijikata is expecting a difficult test against the West Africans.
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“So far, we’ve been focusing on winning each match one by one, and for the next match, without thinking too far ahead, our whole team is determined to fight with everything we’ve got in the match against Nigeria and absolutely win to advance,” a quote a post on Japan women’s national football team’s X page quoted Hijikata as saying ahead of their Round of 16 clash with Nigeria.
“Everyone on the team shares that strong mindset, unwavering in the desire to win, and we are confident in our strengths and ready to give it our all.
“This will be our second match against an African team in this tournament. Like with Ghana, Nigeria is also physically strong and fast. Their legs appear in unexpected places, and they have a surprising ability to cover quickly when we break through their defence. So, I think we need to carefully observe their movements early in the game and make sure we don’t get drawn into playing at their pace, but instead play our own style of soccer.
“In this match, I want to be the one to score the first goal and give the team momentum, and I aim to work hard in both offence and defence to help the team.”
By Adeboye Amosu
