- Falconets out of W/Cup
Nigeria began their title of the Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) in solid fashion by smashing six goals past Mali at the Stade Municipal de Limbe on Sunday.
Asisat Oshoala scored four while Francisca Ordega and Uchechi Sunday got among the goals.
Head coach of the African champions, Florence Omagbemi, named a startlist without Desire Oparanozie with Sunday preferred upfront alongside Arsenal Ladies striker, Oshoala. Faith Ikidi, Onome Ebi, Ordega, Halimatu Ayinde and captain Rita Chikwelu completed Nigeria’s list of overseas-based team.
With the contest surely won by Nigeria,the Oumar Guindo Mali’s team can only look forward to their next game with Kenya on Wednesday while the Super Falcons face Ghana in a clash of heavyweights on same day.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Falconets’ 2-1 win over Spain on Sunday failed to take them past the group stage of the 8th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals.
They needed to win and for Japan not to win in the other Group B match, but the Asians steamrolled their Canadian opponents 5-0 just across the city in Port Moresby, meaning the Nigerian girls would be heading home instead of heading into the quarter finals after wins over Canada and Spain.
Although they finished with six points, same as Japan, Nigeria had a deficit of three goals while the Japanese had 10 goals to their advantage
In the end, the Falconets would look back at their opening match against the Japanese (in which they performed poorly and lost 0-6) and wish they had played the Asians the way they played the Canadians and the Spaniards
Nigerian forward Chiwendu Ihezuo was selected as Player of the Match.
