Falconets plan ‘operation sweep’ for South Africa in World Cup qualifiers

Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, Falconets, are planning ‘operation sweep’ against the Basetsana of South Africa in the final leg of the 2016 World Cup holding in Papua New Guinea.

The Falconets defeated Congo DR 2-0 in Abuja last weekend to qualify on 4-1 goals aggregate after hitting the Congolese 2-1 in the first leg played to Kinshasa.

The Nigerians who finished second at the 2014 edition of the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup in Canada, losing 1-0 to Germany in the final, will face their South African opponents in Abuja on October 24 in the first leg of the encounter. The South Africans stopped Zambia to qualify.

Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, the head of women football committee on the board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mrs. Dilichukwu Onyedinma, said that the Falconets would pick the ticket because the girls are working very hard ahead the game.

“Our girls have vowed that it is the World Cup ticket or nothing. So I don’t see South Africa stopping them in this final qualifying match,” Onyeadinma said.

The Falconets had thrashed Liberia 14-1 on aggregate in the first round of the qualifiers.

On their part, the players are boasting that they will score as many goals as possible in the first leg in Abuja to make the return leg in South Africa a mere formality.

South Africa’s Basetsana narrowly made it to this stage of the qualifiers as they managed to edge their Zambian girls 3-2 in the return leg in South Africa after a 0-0 draw by both teams in Zambia.

Africa’s second representative will emerge from the other end of the qualifying table, with Ghana and Ethiopia looking good to make the final round. The Black Princesses won 1-0 away to Equatorial Guinea and Ethiopia won 2-0 away to Burkina Faso ahead of their return leg in Addis Ababa this weekend after political tension in the West African nation delayed their fixture.

The 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will hold in Papua New Guinea an Oceanian country in southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia.