FIFA U-20 WWC: Moses Aduku backs Falconets to bounce back against China

Nigeria’s Falconets head coach Moses Aduku is confident that his team can recover from their opening-day defeat by Spain and qualify for the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Made In Africa Sport reports.

Nigeria began their Group F campaign with a defeat by Spain on Monday, leaving the Falconets needing a positive result against China PR in their second fixture.

Aduku admitted that his side failed to produce the performance expected of them against Spain but insisted there was enough time to recover with two group matches still to play.

Speaking after the match, the coach told FIFA‘s official website that Nigeria would use the remaining fixtures to correct their mistakes and secure qualification.

“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,” Aduku said, according to FIFA.com.

Uzoma demands response

Falconets captain and goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma also urged her teammates to remain positive after the defeat.

In a post-match interview with FIFA’s media team, Uzoma said the players remained confident of responding in their next fixture.

“Well, we can’t give up because we’ll come back in the next game. We believe that we are going to win the next game,” Uzoma said.

The defeat leaves Nigeria with little room for another poor result as they continue their campaign in Group F.

Aduku said the team would return to work quickly, review their performance against Spain and address the problems identified before the China match.

China next for Falconets

Nigeria will face China PR on Thursday at Arena Sosnowiec in Poland, with kick-off scheduled for 5 pm.

The fixture will be crucial to the Falconets’ hopes of reaching the knockout stages, with the result potentially determining whether they remain in contention for a place in the next round.

A positive result would give Nigeria a chance to revive their campaign before their final group fixture, while another defeat would leave their qualification hopes in danger.

Aduku will now hope his players can produce the response he has demanded and show the level of performance that was missing against Spain.