Nigeria’s Falconets are set for a challenging encounter as they face Germany in their second group match of the 11th FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Wednesday night.
After securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Korea Republic in their opening game, the Falconets look to strengthen their chances of advancing to the Round of 16.
Flourish Sabastine’s late goal dictated Nigeria’s hard-fought win against Korea, a match that was closely contested with few clear opportunities for either side.
However, the upcoming match against Germany presents a much tougher test.
The German team, three-time champions of the tournament, began their campaign with a 5-2 victory over Venezuela.
Their record in group stages is impressive, having lost only two of their last 20 group matches.
This will be the fifth time Nigeria and Germany meet at the U-20 Women’s World Cup, with the Falconets yet to secure a win against the European powerhouse.
Notably, Germany defeated Nigeria in the finals of the 2010 and 2014 editions.
To overcome Germany, the Falconets will likely need to focus on containing Germany’s potent attack while exploiting counter-attacks, a strategy that proved effective against Korea Republic.
The ladies will now aim to break their winless streak against Germany were a win or will secure them an automatic qualification to the next round of the competition.
