Latest News | News Break Nigeria The 2014 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup kicks off on Saturday with hosts Costa Rica taking on Venezuela in the tournament’s opening game in San Jose. The opening encounter will be followed by another Group A clash between Italy and Zambia at the same venue. Also on Saturday, Ghana host South Korea in a Group B fixture in Liberia, Guanacaste province, with Germany facing Canada in the other group game. Nigeria will open their account on Sunday against China in a Group D fixture in Alajuela. The game will come after the opening group clash between Mexico and Colombia at the same venue. The Nigerian team – the Flamingoes – will also play Mexico (March 19) and Columbia (March 23) in the group. Nigeria qualified for the competition without playing a single match, because their opponents withdrew from the qualifiers. The Flamingoes, who reached the quarterfinals of Trinidad & Tobago 2010 and Azerbaijan 2012, will look to land in the semifinals this time around. Coach Bala Nkiyu said before the team travelled to Costa Rica for the fourth edition of the cadet championship that said his charges were ready for the challenge. “I will not predict how we will finish because you have to respect your opponents, but I am sure we will have a good team,” Nkiyu was quoted as saying by FIFA. “Nigerian women’s football has traditionally been very strong in Africa, and we are challenging globally at youth level. With good preparations, we will be a force to be reckoned with in Costa Rica.” South Korea won the maiden edition of the competition in New Zealand in 2008. The Koreans defended their title in Trinidad & Tobago in 2010, while France won the last edition in Azerbaijan.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 00:40:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015