WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Ahead of this morning’s clash with England, Ajibade tells FIFA: ‘A wa l’o kan’ – This is Nigeria’s time
Rasheedat Ajibade says Nigeria have a burning desire to write their name in history and tips a 2-1 win against England on Monday.
- Claims the Super Falcons will create history
- Predicts a 2-1 win for her nation
- Says this is ‘Nigeria’s time’
Rasheedat Ajibade isn’t listening to the outside noise; to those voices that suggest a star-studded England will brush Nigeria aside, that the ranking gap from the fourth-placed European champions to the Super Falcons down at 40 will be too much for her nation to overcome.
Instead, she’s bullish on Nigeria’s hopes and full of belief that they, not England, can dictate the way the match unfolds, as she tells FIFA.
“We’ve seen a lot of surprises in this World Cup, it’s not about the name, it’s not about the players, it’s not about all of those things.
“Honestly, I respect every player on the England team but we have a lot of quality on our team and a lot of talent that poses threats. I’m focussed on what we can do as a team and not what England want to do and at the end of the day it boils down to what we will do on the field.”
So deep does that confidence and belief run that the 23-year-old forward didn’t evade questions about how the match may unfold – as many players often do – and rather confidently asserted how she sees things finishing in Brisbane.
“Nigeria two, England one.”
Having been suspended for the Super Falcons opener against Canada, Ajibade returned and played a key role in both the 3-2 win over Australia and the scoreless draw with Republic of Ireland that secured Nigeria’s passage to the Round of 16.
Some players may have celebrated the achievement of progressing from the group stage for just the third time in their nation’s history but not so Ajibade who is insistent that the pen which will write their history has yet to be picked up.
“It’s my second time qualifying from the group so it’s not new and it’s all about doing something new this time.
“I have a feeling it’s our time and we will make history. We’ve qualified for the Round of 16 in the past so that’s not history.
“Now we have to do something new and historical and we want to write our names in history, we have individual goals and collective goals and want to make sure we do something different so that we can lay a standard for those that are coming behind.”
On the pitch, Ajibade is hard to miss with the shock of blue that runs through her hair and off it she’s just as clear in her assertion as to what drives the motivation behind her team’s success.
“We’re playing for passion, we’re playing for the young kids out there, playing for our friends and families.
“Any time I have the opportunity to be called to the national team it’s a privilege for me and an honour that I would never take for granted. Playing on the biggest stage of football is a dream come true for me because there are a lot of talented young Nigerian players that could be on the squad and amidst millions of football players, I was one of those that were called up.
“Everything I’ve been training for and working for, this is it. The sleepless nights, the hard work, the injuries, the mental part that I’ve been working on, this is what I’ve been doing it for.”
As for who may score the winning goal in that victory she’s foreseen, Ajibade is less clear but if her confidence and belief rubs off on the rest of the squad then England will clearly have a real battle on their hands on Monday afternoon.
“I don’t care who scores the goal! It’s not about individual goals for me, I might score a goal and we might not win so I just want to make it to the quarter-final….unless you say I can score the winning goal!”
-FIFA
Despite wintry conditions in Blida, on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, Algiers, Nigeria’s U17 girls dug their feet into the ground on Friday night.
They achieved a scoreless draw that qualified them for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals.
Holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage, the 2002 bronze medallists adopted a calm and collected pattern that easily soaked up the expected pressure from the hosts and then relied on fast breaks to try and pull the trigger on their opponents.
Although they created better chances on the night, the Flamingos failed to make dominance in possession pay, but swiftly collected the ticket to Morocco on a 4-0 aggregate win.
The difference over two legs of the final round was a remarkable display in the opening leg by the Flamingos, during which a brace by Queen Joseph and one each by Zainab Raji and substitute Aisha Animashaun ensured a 4-0 win.
The Flamingos will now be one of Africa’s five representatives (including hosts Morocco) at this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals taking place from 17th October – 5th November. The final competition will entertain 24 teams for the very first time.
Since the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup competition was launched in New Zealand in 2008, Nigeria have failed to make the finals only once – the 2018 tournament hosted by Uruguay.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Despite heavy first leg loss, Algeria hopeful of a turnaround in Nigeria’s Flamingos clash
The Algeria U17 women’s national team still hope for a possible turnaround in this Friday night clash with Nigeria’s Flamingos.
Algeria lost 4-0 in the first leg match in Ikenne last Saturday.
The Algerians completed their preparations on Thursday at the Sidi Moussa National Technical Centre, the eve of the return match against Nigeria.
The return match is scheduled for this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida. Aggregate winners will pick a ticket to the FIFA U-17 Women’s 2025 World Cup.
According to sources in Algeria, all the players took part in the final session, during which coach Abdenour Mira finalised the tactical details for the make or mar encounter.
Despite the heavy defeat conceded in the first leg (4-0), the young Algerians approach this match with the desire to finish well and deliver an honourable performance against a formidable Nigerian team.
During the technical meeting held early in the afternoon at the FAF headquarters, in the presence of representatives of the two teams and the organisers, it was decided that Algeria will play in green, while Nigeria will wear white.
The match will be officiated by Cameroonian Aline Marie Noelle Guimbang, assisted by her compatriot Laurie Marcelle Tsafack Teikeu and Chadian Victorine Ngarassoum.
The fourth official will also be Cameroonian, Innoncentia Njang Ntangti.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Under possible cold weather in Blida, Nigeria’s Flamingos set to grab World Cup ticket
The weather is most likely to be cold, but Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are set to continue a tradition of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, which has had eight editions, out of which the Flamingos featured in seven.
Only Japan, with 100 per cent attendance, has featured in more competitions than Nigeria’s Flamingos.
They look poised to feature again after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria in the first leg of the final qualifying series.
Apart from their opponents, Algeria, they have the expected cold weather to battle with at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), on Friday night.
Friday’s encounter against their Algerian counterparts is the final leg of a final qualifying round fixture, with the Flamingos, bronze-medallists from the 2022 finals in India and quarterfinalists from the last edition in the Dominican Republic, holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage.
The Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) has scheduled the match to kick off at 8 pm, at a time when the winds will begin to blow in stronger from the Mediterranean Sea.
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