By ADERONKE OJO

Football stakeholders in the FCT have urged the Falconets, to improve their tactical discipline, chance conversion and defensive organisation ahead of their clash with England.

The stakeholders made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

They said the Falconets must raise their performance and adopt a more disciplined approach to overcome England and secure a quarter-final berth at the 2026 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

NAN reports that the Falconets secured four points from three Group F matches.

They lost 0-2 to Spain, drew 0-0 with China and recorded a 10-1 victory over tournament debutants New Caledonia.

Nigeria finished second in Group F and will confront England in the round of 16 at Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday.

Olubunmi Fadipe, Head Coach, Formidable Under-15 Girls Football Academy, said the Falconets must remain realistic in spite of their emphatic victory over New Caledonia.

“Beating a debutant shows the strength of the team, but we have to face reality. We beat a debutant, not one of the more established teams.

“I urge the players to create and convert more chances against England, while making effective use of quick counter-attacks to exploit spaces when their opponents lose possession,” she said.

Chinenye Obi, Head Coach, Philadelphia Football Academy, said the team needed to address its defensive and tactical shortcomings before facing a much tougher England side.

Obi predicted a closely contested encounter, saying the Falconets could progress through a penalty shoot-out if the match ended in a draw.

She, however, predicted a narrow 1-0 victory for Nigeria if the match was decided in regulation time.

Abubakar Mohammed, Assistant Coach, Greatest Legends Football Academy, said the victory over New Caledonia was a perfect response to Nigeria’s mixed results in their opening two matches.

He urged the players to make good use of set pieces, particularly corners and free kicks, which could prove decisive against England.

Beatrice Godwin, Assistant Coach, Democrat Football Club, described the 10-1 victory as Nigeria’s biggest result of the tournament so far.

She said the result demonstrated the attacking quality available to the Falconets and their ability to respond strongly after a difficult start to the competition.

Chukwunonso Arinzechi, a sports broadcaster and commentator, said he was impressed by the Falconets’ performance, particularly their fighting spirit and determination.

“For me, I was quite surprised. We expected to beat them, but to beat them 10-1 was something else,” he said.

Arinzechi commended Head Coach Moses Aduku and his technical crew for their preparations but noted that visa challenges had affected the team, including the absence of captain Joy Ibokwe.

He cautioned the Falconets against getting carried away by their victory over New Caledonia, noting that teams such as Spain and Australia had also impressed at the tournament.

“I still think we can go far, maybe to the quarter-finals or semi-finals, but we have to take it one game at a time,” he said.

Samuel Alonge, Head Coach, Crown Football Academy, called for improvements in Nigeria’s coaching and player-development structures.

Alonge said Nigeria had talented players but needed a modern coaching system capable of developing them technically, tactically, physically and mentally.

He urged Nigerian coaches to attend workshops regularly, study modern tactical trends and participate in international exchange programmes.

He also called for greater exposure to different football methodologies to improve the quality of coaching in the country.

Alonge said Nigeria were now the only African representatives remaining at the competition after Ghana, Tanzania and Benin Republic exited at the group stage.

Other stakeholders urged the Falconets to approach the round of 16 encounter with confidence and discipline to keep alive their hopes of winning Nigeria’s first FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup title.

NAN reports that the round of 16 matches will commence on Wednesday, with Brazil facing the United States at 2 p.m., while Argentina will take on South Korea at the same time.

Spain will face Portugal at 5:30 p.m., while Italy will confront China at 5:30 p.m.

On Thursday, England will face Nigeria, while France will take on Canada at 2 p.m.

North Korea will also face Japan, while hosts Poland will confront Colombia at 5:30 p.m.

The 2026 edition of the competition commenced on Sept. 5 and is expected to end on Sept. 27. (NAN)