Nigeria U-20 women’s team, Falconets, appear on course to make an unprecedented seventh appearance at the global championships, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The West Africans have a 6-0 advantage ahead of this weekend’s clash with their South African counterparts, in the second leg clash of the final round of the continental qualifiers.
The Falconets remain the only African side to have participated at every edition of the biennial championship since its inception in 2002 (in Canada), and appear poise to stage a return to Canada, incidentally hosts of the 2014 edition later in the year.
With the huge deficit, Basetsana as the South Africans are nicknamed have tall mountain to climb as far as realizing their dream of an appearance at the global women’s youth football tourney is concerned.
Nigeria also boasts the continent’s best performance in the history of the competition, second-place at the 2010 edition in Germany, but South African goalie Kaylin Swart has refused to give-up on their chances when the two sides face-off on Saturday, January 25 at the Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg.
“We are looking to come back in the match on Saturday. We have to look past the experience we had in Nigeria and come back in the second leg. We really want to go out there and do the nation and ourselves proud,” Swart told the South African Football Association website.
However, Nigeria coach, Peter Dedevbo is looking to add to the misery of South Africans after the Super Eagles sent hosts Bafana Bafana crushing out of the ongoing Orange African Nations Championships (CHAN).
“Our task is to go there and complete the job. We are taking the encounter seriously and are not considering the huge advantage from the first leg. The players are raring to go and are 100-percent fit,” Dedevbo told the media before his team’s departure for Johannesburg.
The other African slot will be decided in Accra on Sunday, January 26 when Ghana’s Black Princesses lock horns with the Nzalang Feminino U-20 of Equatorial Guinea at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The Equatoguineans won the first leg by a lone goal but Ghana are bent on completing a double against the guests after beating them to the ticket for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup last year.
The Princesses are also keen on achieving a hat-trick of appearances at the world event after 2010 (Germany) and 2012 (Japan).
The final tournament will be held from 5-24 August, 2014 in Canada.
Fixtures
25/01/2014 South Africa vs Nigeria (0-6)
26/01/2014 Ghana vs Equatorial Guinea (0-1)
FIFA.com
Confederation of African Football (CAF) News
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