Nigeria U20 women’s team coach, Moses Aduku, has confidently pledged that the Falconets will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup following their 1-0 victory over Senegal in the first leg of their third-round qualifier, www.aclsports.com reports.
Speaking at the post-match press conference at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta, Aduku said he was grateful for the goal and the hard-fought victory, but added, “I think we’re taking the fight to them now. Immediately we leave here, we’re going back to the drawing board to see what we need to correct to face the next battle, which is in Senegal. But I know we will not disappoint.”
Addressing the performance of Taiwo Afolabi, he added, “Sometimes football is like that. Just like you said, fantastic player — maybe today was not her day. But I know in Senegal, you’ll see a different ball game.” On Janet Akekoromowei’s injury, Aduku explained, “No information yet because we just finished the game. But when we get back to the hotel, I think we’ll get some information.”
Captain Joy Igbokwe praised the team’s resilience: “Firstly, we thank God for the first win. I’ll say it was a very tough game, and we’ll go back to our drawing board and work on our lapses.” On missing teammate Akekoromowei, she added, “Yes, we missed her because she’s one of our key players. When the injury occurred, we almost felt down, but our coach encouraged us that we just have to play no matter what. So we miss her so much, and I’m using this medium to wish her a speedy recovery.”
On tactical adjustments, Aduku said, “Just like I said, football is like that. When some players have an ‘off day,’ you might think they are not good. But when we get to Senegal, the same players will play, and you’ll see they are also game changers. Kindness came in — yeah, that’s what a substitute should do. We had a game plan, but it was not working for us in the first half. In the second half, we had quite some opportunities that we did not take, but we managed to score one.”
Regarding strategy for the second leg, he stated, “We will not play defensively. We’ll try to score first, but not undermine our defence. We’ll tighten our defence, but we’ll still aim to score first. Playing defensively would be dangerous for us.”
Igbokwe addressed fans ahead of Senegal: “To the fans: I promised that we were going to score goals, but it didn’t go as we planned. We’ll be going back to our drawing board and assuring you that the result in Senegal will be different and we’re going to make you proud.”
The Falconets now shift their focus to the second leg in Senegal on Saturday, 14 February, at Stade Lat-Dior in Thiès, determined to extend their narrow lead and secure a spot in the final round of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
