Falconets edge Australia 2-1 in friendly ahead of FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup
Nigeria’s U20 women’s national team, the Falconets, secured a 2-1 victory over Australia’s U20 team in a friendly match held in Colombia on Friday. This match was part of the Falconets’ preparations for the upcoming 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
After the match, the Australian team requested a penalty shootout challenge, which the Falconets also won, triumphing 4-3. The friendly victory and subsequent penalty shootout win have boosted the team’s confidence as they prepare for the World Cup.
An official from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) who was present at the match praised the team’s performance. “The team is in high spirits. As I speak with you, we (Falconets) just defeated Australia 2-1 in their first friendly match. And also beat them 5-4 in a penalty shootout challenge. They played well and deserved the victory,” the official stated.
The NFF has lined up additional friendly matches for the Falconets to help them acclimatize and refine their strategies before their first group-stage match against Korea Republic. Nigeria is in Group D alongside Germany, Venezuela, and Korea Republic.
The Falconets will kick off their World Cup campaign on Monday, September 2, against Korea Republic. They will then face Germany on Wednesday, September 4, before wrapping up the group stage with a match against Venezuela.
The 2024 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, hosted by Colombia from August 31 to September 22, 2024, marks the third time Colombia has hosted a FIFA tournament and the first time they have hosted a FIFA women’s tournament. Spain enters the tournament as the defending champions.
