Nigeria’s Falconets will have everything to play for when they face New Caledonia in their final Group F match at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Sunday, with head coach Moses Aduku insisting his team must find the goals needed to keep their knockout hopes alive, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The match will be played at Stadion Miejski LKS Lodz, with Nigeria currently third in the group on one point after losing 2-0 to Spain in their opening game before settling for a goalless draw against China on Thursday.
The Falconets now need a victory, preferably by a significant margin, to improve their goal difference and strengthen their chances of reaching the Round of 16.
Aduku has warned his players against taking New Caledonia lightly despite their heavy defeats in their opening two matches, while confirming that the squad is in good shape ahead of the decisive encounter.
“The results in their last two matches notwithstanding, we will not under-rate our opponents. I am happy because the girls are in good spirits and ready to go, and there are no injuries in our camp as I speak,” he said.
The Falconets coach knows that their inability to score in their opening two matches has left them with little room for error and has challenged his players to be more clinical in front of goal.
“We all know the implication of our not scoring goals on Sunday, so we will go in there and focus on scoring goals to stand a chance of reaching the next round. We cannot afford to go back home now.”
New Caledonia are making their debut at the competition and sit bottom of Group F without a point after suffering a 5-0 defeat to China and an 11-0 loss to Spain.
Despite their difficult start, head coach Leon Waitronyie says his players will look to adopt a more attacking approach as they chase their first goal of the tournament.
“We need to play a little higher up the pitch and try to score a goal,” Waitronyie said.
Spain currently top the group with six points, while China have four. Nigeria can still advance as group runners-up or qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams across the six groups.
However, the Falconets know a positive result against New Caledonia is essential if they are to keep their World Cup campaign alive.