Nigeria women’s u-17 national team will look to outwit and outsmart the United States when the two sides meet at the semifinal of the FIFA u-17 Women’s World Cup in India, Abbeylivenetwork.com reports.
The Flamingos reached the quarterfinal stage for only the fourth time in their history after finishing as runners-up in Group B.
The Flamingos lost narrowly, 1-2, to another powerhouse of women’s football, Germany in their first match of the competition but have since overcome stage fright and were worthy 4-0 and 2-1 winners over New Zealand and Chile respectively.
Navi Mumbai, a planned ultra-modern city that is only 25 kilometers from the Indian capital city of Mumbai, is the venue for this titanic clash set for the Dr. DY Patil Stadium from 12 noon Nigeria time on Friday.
Nigeria, who would be aiming to break their quarterfinal jinx at this competition, is up against the USA for the first time at this level and this encounter is an opportunity for the West Africans to make history.
Having failed to reach the semi-finals in six previous editions, the Nigerians set out to achieve the impossible, ending the country’s 14-year wait for a last-four berth on their fourth quarterfinal appearance.
The Americans will hope to reach the semis for the first time since 2008 when they finished as runners-up at the inaugural edition in New Zealand.
Impossible is nothing, really. On 25th July 2010, in Augsburg, Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets came from behind to defeat USA on penalties in one of the quarter-final matches of the 2010 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Germany. The match ended 1-1 and the Falconets went on to win 4-2 after a penalty shootout.
Head to head
Despite the storied adventure of both teams at the Mundial, this is the first time Nigeria will face the United States at this level.
The Flamingos’ best result at the tournament is three quarterfinal finishes at the 2010, 2012, and 2014 editions of the World Cup.
The United Stars have been far from dominant in this tournament, despite being the beaten finalist in the inaugural edition in 2008.
Since then, the Yanks failed to make it past the group stage of the 2012, 2016, and 2018 editions, and Nigeria will fancy their chances against the inconsistent Americans.
Match details
Competition: FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, India 2022
Stage: Quarterfinal
Match: United States vs. Nigeria
Date: Friday, October 21, 2022
Venue: D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai
Kickoff time: 12.00 pm Nigeria time
Prediction
The United States will be the favourites to advance at the expense of the Africans, considering their reputation in the game.
But the Flamingos are no minnows, losing just once in five years.
Tip: Both teams to score
