Sports
FIFAWomen U-20 W/Cup: Falconets Make History Eliminate Champions, USA
Nigeria’s Super Falconets did the almost impossible by coming from behind to eliminate world champions, USA from the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Germany yesterday.
Goalkeeper Alaba Jonathan was the hero as she saved one penalty kick and intimidated USA star player Sydney Leroux into missing the decisive kick to send Nigeria through 4-2 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 in regulation and extra-time.
Amber Brooks had given the USA the lead on nine minutes as a nervy Nigerian team struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the opening 45 minutes. It was to their credit though, that despite the disjointed play, they held it down at the back and kept the dangerous Sydney Leroux quiet.
At the other end, the USA back-four were also doing a good job stifling and keeping pace with Nigeria’s lethal combination of Ebere Orji and Eberechi Oparanozie.
The Falconets best passage of play came in the closing minutes of the first half when composed passing and ball movement opened up the USA defence, but Orji hit tamely at the keeper.
Nigeria looked a side reborn in the second half, continuing from where they left off in the first and threatened the world champions endlessly.
Both Orji and Oparanozie had half-chances to reap rewards, but found their route blocked by Crystal Dunn and Henninger.
Nigeria coach Ndem Egan then threw on the mercurial Esther Sunday, who had been inexplicably left out of the starting eleven, and Nigeria looked even more dangerous. And the goal didn’t take long to follow.
Sunday rolled a free-kick into the path of Ukaonu, who zapped an unstoppable effort past Henninger and into the top right hand corner.
Nigeria had their tails up and were pinning the rattled Americans back in their own half, but there were to be no further goals even in extra time, although both sides had chances to do so.
Oparanozie muscled round her marker, but hit the side netting with only Henninger in front of her, and Kristie Mewis crashed a volley on the crossbar late on. The game went into penalties, and it was the Nigerian who came out triumphant.
The victory marked the first time the Falconets would go beyond the quarter final stage of the competition and the first time any Nigeria woman football team will reach the semi final stage in a FIFA world cup
They will now play Colombia in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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