Falconets Want To Be World Champions

Nigeria’s  Under-20
women football team, Super Falconets dismissed Korea Republic 2-0 on Sunday
morning, leaving coach Edwin Okon saying they are an improved squad from the
2010 class.

Ngozi Okobi and Desire Oparanozie turned in crosses in both
halves, leaving their coach in smug, satisfied mood “This was the planned
result,” Okon said after the game.

“We’ve even improved compared to last World Cup and we’ll
try to do better than that, which means that we want to do better than second
place.”

That second place was what the 2010 team achieved; losing
0-2 to hosts Germany in the Final.

Okon, who took over from Peter Dedevbo, has selected a
whopping seven players from that squad.

Lethal forward Desire Oparanozie, who has since gone on to
become a full international, headlines six others from that squad in a cast
that includes Ebere Orji, Blessing Edoho, Gloria Ofoegbu, Esther Sunday,
Charity Adule and Cecilia Nku.

As if that was not enough, Okon also plundered from the team
that reached the quarterfinals of the Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup the same
year.

From that squad comes Francisca Ordega, Ngozi Okobi, Ugo
Njoku, Winifred Eyebhoria and goalkeeper Damilola Akano.

It is no surprise the coach is in such bullish mood. It was
his combination of veterans who delivered on the day.

Ordega’s smart run down the right channel finished with a
low cross to the back post which Okobi only had to tap in on the quarter hour.

And then midway through the second period, And with the
Koreans looking increasingly threatening, a different pair of veterans stepped
up.

Orji looped the sort of perfect centre into the box that
Oparanozie feeds on, and the big number 9, had no trouble rising to guide an
imperious header for Nigeria’s second.

Esther Sunday could have added gloss to the scoreline, but
she missed her chance.

Tougher tests await the team, first comes Brazil today, and
then Italy in the final group game, but little will dampen Okon’s confidence.