By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Nigeria’s U-20 women’s football team, Falconets have qualified for the fourth round of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022 African qualifiers as their Congo has withdrawn from the race for a ticket to represent Africa in the summer event.
The Nigerian girls had walloped their hosts, Congo 4-0 in the first leg of the African qualifiers third round tie played in Brazzaville last Sunday.
The Two-time FIFA U-20 World Cup Silver medallists Nigeria defeated the hapless Congolese with goals by Mercy Idoko (38′), Flourish Sebastine (47′), Esther Onyenezide (50′ Pen.) and Deborah Ajibola (55′) to make the return leg tie billed for December 17, 2021 in Lagos a mere academic exercise.
But sensing being massacred in Nigeria in the return leg match, the Congolese Football Association (FECOFOOT) wrote to the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF ) over the weekend that they have withdrawn their national team from FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup African Qualifiers second leg match in Nigeria.
In a terse correspondence to CAF, FECOFOOT expressed the inability of Congo to take part in the next match due to travel challenges.
Therefore, the match is canceled, and Nigeria automatically qualified for the next round.
To reach the third round, the Falconets had thumped their counterparts from Central African Republic 7-0 in the first leg tie in Douala, before wrapping things up at a stroll in Lagos, with a further 4-0 scoreline to record a 11-0 goals aggregate.
Congo drew 1-1 with Egypt’s U-20 girls in Cairo and then won the return 3-1 in Brazzaville to be eligible for the fixture with the Falconets.
Nigeria’s Falconets will next face Cameroon in Fourth Round.
