New Telegraph

Costa Rica 2022: Falconets zoom into penultimate round of African race

Nigeria’s U20 girls flew into the penultimate round of the African qualifying series for next year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup with an elegant 11-0 aggregate dismissal of their counterparts from the Central African Republic.

Victors by 7-0 from the first leg played in Douala; the Falconets rather took things easy at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Lagos Island, making it 4-0 with Mercy Idoko, two-goal heroine from the first leg, earning another brace.

Flourish Sebastine got the Falconets in front after latching onto a long thrust by Bashirat Amoo in the 13th minute, a minute after exciting left-sided midfielder Esther Onyenezide had rocked the crossbar from a free-kick.

Sebastine could have made it two 14 minutes later but she was thwarted by goalkeeper Beverly Mellot, who put up a brave performance. In the 31st minute, Onyenezide again rattled the crossbar with a sweet in-swinger from the right.

Idoko made good in the 35th minute, heading home from a corner kick by the ubiquitous Sebastine.

Six minutes into the second period, Idoko finished with a flourish off a flowing team move, sending the aggregate into double figures.

Captain of the visiting team, Sumita Lindsay Gouandjia was dismissed from the game for a second bookable offence in the 68th minute. Three minutes from the end, substitute Blessing Okpe made it four with a ferocious rising shot, only three minutes after coming in for Joy Jerry.

The Falconets will now play the winner of the Egypt/Congo fixture in the penultimate round of the African qualifying race.

Read Previous

Kalu greets Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe, on occasion of 2021 Ofala Festival

Read Next

Barau emerges Emir of Kontagora

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *