Head Coach Peter Dedevbo on Sunday showered encomiums on his Nigeria U20 girls, even as the Falconets crashed out of the 2016 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup despite two wins out of three matches.
The Falconets’ dreams of advancing in the tournament was truncated despite a 2-1 victory over Spain that gave saw them finishing on six points as Japan and Spain.
For Dedevbo, his girls deserve all the accolades because they proved themselves worthy ambassadors of Africa’s most populous nation.
The 2014 World Cup silver medal –winning Coach noted that the girls gave their best in flying Nigeria and Africa’s flag but it was unfortunate that they were so cruelly eliminated, despite finishing with the same six points as the two other teams (Japan and Spain) that advanced to the last eight.
“Sincerely speaking, you all are stars and I am proud of you. Despite the circumstances, you were not disgraced. We had lofty dreams of making it to the final or even going one better than we took our country in Canada four years ago, but it was not to be. Collectively and individually, we worked towards achieving that goal, but our best could not take us that far,” Dedevbo said.
The Nigerian girls flexed their muscles and fought hard before a capacity crowd at the Papua New Guinea Stadium to earn a 2-1 win over Spain. The match was played under heavy wind conditions that did not help either of the teams as they struggled in he circumstances.
Meanwhile, stand-in captain and scorer of the winning goal, Chiwendu Ihezuo wept profusely after Nigeria’s early exit from the 2016 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup on Sunday.
The BIIK Zazygurt of Kazakhstan player, with two goals from three games, lamented her inability to actualize her dreams of contesting for the tournament’s golden boot. She was instrumental to Falconets’ presence in Papua New Guinea, scoring seven goals out of the 13 Nigeria recorded during the qualifying series.
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