Falconets head coach Moses Aduku says his side still have areas to address despite their emphatic 10-1 victory over New Caledonia at the 2026 U-20 WWC.
The result secured Nigeria’s place in the round of 16, with the Falconets recovering from a difficult start to the group stage against the tournament debutants.
Nigeria had taken only one point from their opening two matches, losing 2-0 to Spain before drawing 0-0 with China. They needed a substantial win against New Caledonia to progress to the knockout stages, and delivered with a dominant performance against the Oceania side.
However, Aduku believes the result should not hide the weaknesses his team must correct as they continue in the competition.
“For us the World Cup is just starting, we thank God for the 10 goals and for qualifying for the next round but like I said for us the World Cup is just starting,” Aduku said.
The coach said the team would quickly turn its attention to the next challenge rather than dwell on the victory.
“We thank God but this one (win against New Caledonia) is done and dusted we look forward to the next game. We had some lapses despite the win but we will go back and take care of it.”
The Falconets will return to action on Thursday, September 17, when they face England in the round of 16.
England finished second in Group B on four points, behind Brazil. The Junior Three Lionesses began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Canada before recording a 5-1 win over Tanzania.
They ended the group stage with a 2-1 defeat by Brazil, who finished top of the section.
Nigeria’s victory over New Caledonia completed a turnaround after they had struggled to find a win in their first two group matches. The Falconets will now face an England side that has won once, drawn once and lost once in the tournament so far.