Japan vs Nigeria: Preview, Date and How to Watch Falconets at FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup
- Japan vs Nigeria is slated for the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota in the wee hours of Friday, September 13
- The Falconets ended the group stages with 6 points and will now face the high-scoring Asian powerhouse in the knockout phase
- Japan head coach Michichisa Kano, who spoke just before the tournament, stated that his side can go all the way for the ultimate prize
Nigeria's Falconets will take on their Japanese counterparts in a mouthwatering Round of 16 clash at FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in Colombia.
The impressive Falconets reached the knockout phase of the tournament after finishing second in Group D with 6 points, behind the Germans, who also had 6 points but with a better goal difference.
Nigeria defeated Korea Republic 1-0 in their opening group game but succumbed 3-1 to Germany before thrashing Venezuela 4-0 in their final match of the preliminary rounds.
Source: Getty Images
They will take on the free-scoring Japan side for a place in the quarter-final. The Nadeshiko scored an impressive 13 goals while conceding just one in the group stage.
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The Japanese side reached the knockout phase after destroying New Zealand 7-0, winning 4-1 over Ghana, and then defeating Australia 2-0.
Team News
Nigeria's Coach, Chris Danjuma, will rely on Flourish Sabastine's attacking threat and Okwuchukwu's defensive strength to counter Japan’s in-form attackers.
They must put an eye on in-form Maya Hijjikata, who scored a brace in Japan’s win over Austria. Coach Danjuma said via Africa Sports:
“The girls have worked very hard to get to this stage, and we are proud of their efforts. We will be taking the knockout stages one match at a time.
“I must tell you that we are excited at the prospects of facing Japan and what that brings forth."
Japan head coach Michihisa Kano told FIFA that his side has the capacity to go all the way at the competition. He said:
"For me, the aggressive and fearless approach is the strength of our Japanese women's team and is where we excel."
Japan U20 vs Nigeria U20 - Date and Time
The massive fixture is slated for the Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota on Friday, September 13.
It will be live on Supersport on DSTV and GOtv and will kick off at 2am.
How Falconets defeated Korea Republic
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Falconets started their campaign at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup on a spectacular note after defeating their counterparts from the Korea Republic.
An 86th-minute goal was enough for the West Africans to register their first win of the tournament and secure all three points.
Both teams practically matched each other in all departments, as there were few chances in a game between two strong squads not unfamiliar with themselves.
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Source: Legit.ng
