Africa’s most successful team at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals, the Falconets of Nigeria will on Sunday commence another race to qualify for the global tournament when they square up to their counterparts from Congo in the third qualifying round.
Rivers Angels FC attacking midfielder, Deborah Abiodun has expressed her confidence going into the game and how the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League experience has shaped her game.
“It’s a dream come true to be among the first set of players to represent in the first CAF Champions League,” she said.
“The Champions League experience has really improved my game on and off the pitch and I am ready to take it forward to the World Cup qualifying game. We are going to Congo with so much determination to win and win well.
“It’s a good experience for myself and my team technically. Though, it’s quite unfortunate we were not able to do more and meet the expectations of our fans. But everything I have learnt personally will be useful when we play Congo.”
Falconets have played in every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since the competition was launched as an U19 tournament in Canada in 2022, winning the silver medals in 2010 in Germany and in 2014 in Canada, and were semi finalists in 2012 in Japan.
Joy Jerry of Bayelsa Queens FC also believed in her team’s determination and confidence ahead of the Congo clash. She stated that it’s time to put to use what the coaches have been impacting in them.
“We are ready! We are well prepared to bring Congo down. They are not push over, we saw what they did against Egypt but the goal is to win and win well, that’s what we are going to do.
“They are an obstacle we have to bring down to qualify for the next round.”
Nigeria’s Falconets will face Congo on Sunday, December 5 at the Stade Alphonse Massamba Debat in Brazzaville, with the return leg scheduled for Mobolaji Johnson Arena Onikan, Lagos, two weeks later.
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