The coach of Nigeria’s youth female national team, Falconets, Christopher Danjuma is targeting a ‘good result’ for his side in Saturday’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier against Central African Republic (CAR).
Megasportsarena.com reports that Danjuma stated as much on arrival in Douala, Cameroon, where the match will be played, after Confederation of African Football (CAF) refused to clear any venue in CAR to host international matches.
Consequently, heading into the first round, first leg encounter on Saturday, Danjuma expressed confidence in his squad to hold their own and go on all the way to pick a berth at next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
The game will kick off at 3pm Cameroon time, with the return leg in Nigeria on October 8, ahead of which Danjuma is banking on victory to be achieved with his squad that has Ayomide Bakare, Monle Oyono, Inyene Etim, Oluwatosin Demehin, Omowunmi Oshobukola and Rofiat Imuran.
Others are Oluwabunmi Oladeji, Oluchi Ohaegbulem, Chidinma Ogbuchi, Jumoke Alani, Angela Michael, Rashidat Amoo, Deborah Abiodun, Philomena Yina, Anuoluwapo Salisu, Blessing Okpe, Esther Onyenezide, Mercy Kalu, Joy Jerry, Chioma Sebastine, Taiwo Lawal, Mercy Idoko and Precious Vincent.
The contingent of 23 players flew into Douala in the early hours of Thursday, following which they immediately trained same day, in earnest preparation for Saturday’s game, ahead of which they were billed to have the usual single official training at the match venue, Stade Japoma de Douala.
The Falconets have appeared at every edition of the competition since it started as FIFA U19 Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2002, making it to Thailand 2004, Russia 2006, Chile 2008, Germany 2010, Japan 2012, Canada 2014, Papua New Guinea 2016 and France 2018.
The 2020 edition, planned by FIFA to be co-hosted by Costa Rica and Panama, was scuttled by the global coronavirus pandemic, and it will now have a single host nation for the tenth edition in August 2022, which Danjuma believes will be graced by his side.
He is now aiming to avoid defeat in Saturday’s clash, which comes up against CAR due to the withdrawal of Equatorial Guinea from the race, and the team from Central Africa got the chance to go straight into the first round against the highly successful Falconets.
Danjuma noted that the game will come up on neutral ground and his side will go all out for goals from the first blast, as he retorted: “We are here to earn a good result that will make the second leg a bit easier for us. We will go all out for victory against our opponents who are also playing on away ground.”
