By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria’s girls at the ongoing FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup are currently perfecting plans to face their Columbia counterparts during the semi-final clash of the competition on Wednesday October 25, 2022 in Goa, India.
Already, the newly elected President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, is on his way to India, venue of the tournament to physically lead support for the rampaging Nigerian women team.
Victory over Colombia – who defeated the only other African team to make the knockout stage, Tanzania 3-0 in the last eight – will shoot the Flamingos into Sunday’s final.
The Flamingos’ odyssey in India has had an uncanny resemblance to that of the Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets in Germany 12 years ago, at least from the quarter-final stage.
In 2010, in what was the first international tournament for any Nigeria team under the presidency of Alhaji Aminu Maigari, the Falconets had beaten the United States 4-2 in a penalty shootout in a FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup quarter-final after both teams tied 1-1 in regulation time in Augsburg.
Four days later, a 2nd minute goal by Ebere Orji at the Bielefelder Alm in the city of Bielefeld condemned Colombia to defeat in the semi final, and the Falconets squared up to Germany in the final.
They had beaten the United States in a penalty shootout after 1-1 draw in a World Cup quarter-final, and now await Colombia in the semi-finals.
It is also remarkable that Germany, Nigeria’s opponents in the final in Germany 12 years ago, are also in the semi-finals in India.
They play Spain in the second semi-final on Wednesday.
