Nigeria Under-20 head coach Moses Aduku said his side “did not come to the party” after the Falconets began their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Spain.
The reigning European champions scored once in each half to secure victory in the opening Group F match. Marisa Garcia put Spain ahead before Alba Cerrato added a second goal to leave Nigeria with an early setback in Poland.
Aduku was openly critical of his team’s performance after the match, but insisted Nigeria could still recover and reach the knockout stages.
Speaking to FIFA.com, he said: “We did not come to the party today; we did not play.
“But all the same, we have two more games to play; we will get it right. Of course, we are going to go through [to the knockout rounds].
“I am confident. We did not play today.”
The result means the Falconets have work to do in Group F as they attempt to revive their campaign. Their next opportunity will come against China PR on Thursday, September 10.
Nigeria must now regroup before that match, with Aduku confident that his team can improve sufficiently to progress from the group despite failing to score against Spain.
Spain controlled the contest well enough to claim three points, with their goals in either half ensuring the European champions made a winning start to the tournament. For Nigeria, the defeat leaves little margin for error in their remaining two group fixtures.
The Falconets will therefore turn their attention to China PR, knowing that a positive result is important if they are to fulfil Aduku’s expectation of advancing to the knockout rounds.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is being staged in Poland, where Nigeria are competing in Group F alongside Spain and China PR. Their opening defeat came against a Spanish team that showed its quality in front of goal, while Nigeria were unable to produce the performance their coach expected.
Aduku’s assessment was clear: the Falconets did not perform at their level in the opening game. His focus is now on ensuring they respond in their next match and remain in contention for the latter stages of the global tournament.