Adaramola Yemiblak
May 1, 2026Falconets: Aduku confident Nigeria U-20 women will counter Malawi attack in first leg
Photo: Adaramola Yemiblak
Falconets: Aduku confident Nigeria U-20 women will counter Malawi attack in first leg
Nigeria U-20 women’s national team coach Moses Aduku is confident that the Falconets are prepared to counter anything thrown at them ahead of Saturday’s 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final round qualifying first leg against Malawi in Ikenne, Ogun State.
Speaking at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Aduku stated that he and his technical crew have studied the Malawians and identified their strengths and weaknesses.
Next stop: the 4th and final round of the U-20 WWC Qualifiers. Who are you backing? 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gyFKGhe021
— CAF Women’s Football (@CAFwomen) May 1, 2026
Falconets focus on victory in first leg
Aduku dismissed Malawi’s wide-margin win against Guinea-Bissau in the third round, stating that his team’s Southern African opponent will be on the receiving end of a heavy defeat this time.
“No two games are the same, yes they scored six goals in their last game, we watched the game and we saw their strength and weakness and we will work towards it, we will counter it. The six we are looking at will be in the opposite.
The Malawians are not a bad team, for them to win 6-1 shows how good they are but we can’t wait for tomorrow to come. Yes they scored six goals in the previous round but we cannot allow them to score a goal not to talk of scoring six goals.”
Aduku added that he has ensured his side can handle the pre-match pressure heading into the clash.
“Even it’s the first game there’s always pressure but it’s not on the players it’s on me but I think I’ve been able to take care of the pressure. The important thing is that the focus of the players is very good in training. I don’t have fear that the girls will not perform we just need Nigerians to pray for us and keep believing in the team and be patient with the team.”
The Falconets have never missed an edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Their best finishes came in 2010 and 2014, when they finished as runners-up. The 2026 edition of the tournament will be hosted in Poland from September 5 to September 27. Only four teams from Africa will qualify for the 24-team global showpiece.
