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Anthony Nlebem
Nigeria’s Falconets coach, Chris Danjuma, is confident his U20 girls will cause an upset at the 2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup taking place in Costa Rica from August 10 to 28.
The Falconets arrived in the Costa Rican capital, San Jose on Saturday morning after travelling through Turkey and Colombia.
“We are finally here, and we are happy to be here at the FIFA World Cup. The World Cup is always an interesting experience for the coaches and the players, and I am sure it is the same for other professionals who get to be involved.
“We took a long route to get here, having to play four different teams in the qualifying series. I can tell you that we are prepared to make Nigeria and Africa proud. It is not about being here to make up the number; it is about being here to make an impact.”
Falconet had two training sessions, on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, the Falconets made use of the San Rafael Stadium for one hour, to knock off the jet lag, and then utilized the same facility for two hours on Sunday morning.
The Falconets will continue their training on Monday at the Alajuela Stadium and the Stadio Piedades Santa Ana on Tuesday morning.
The 2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup starts on Wednesday, with the Falconets set to play their first match against France at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose at 12am Nigeria time on Thursday.
Falconets’ other group phase matches are against the Korea Republic at 9pm Nigeria time on Sunday, August 14, Canada on Wednesday, August 17, 3am Nigeria time, and France on Thursday, August 18. Both matches will hold at the Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium.
Africa’s other flagbearers, Ghana are up against Cup holders Japan, The Netherlands and three-time champions United States of America in Group D.