Nigeria 10-1 New Caledonia: Three Talking Points As Falconets Qualify For Round Of 16

The Falconets of Nigeria completed their U-20 Women's World Cup group-stage campaign with an impressive 10-1 victory over New Caledonia on Sunday.

Winner Onajite David (hat-trick) and Ramotalahi Kareem (hat-trick), Rebecca Adegbemile (brace), Janet Akekoromowei (one), and Tosin Rafiu (one) were on the goalscoring chart.

The victory saw Nigeria finish second in Group F and progress to the Round of 16, where they will battle England. Positive NG Vibes monitored the game, and here are our three talking points.

1. EarlyGoals

As predicted in our pre-match analysis, the Falconets didn't waste time before breaking the deadlock, opening the scoring from the spot.

Tosin Rafiu was brought down in the box, leaving the referee with no option but to point to the spot. Ramotalahi Kareem stepped up and converted to give Nigeria the lead in the 17th minute.

The African powerhouse doubled their lead two minutes later when Rebecca Adegbemile scored from close range.

Janet Akekoromowei and Ramotalahi Kareem then scored the third and fourth goals before the half-hour mark, to give Nigeria a commanding 4-0 lead inside 27 minutes.

2.Wide-GoalVictory

For the second time in their history, the Falconets scored double-digit goals in a single match.

Having scored four in the first half, the young Nigerians added six more goals after the break, recording the biggest win in Nigeria's U-20 Women's World Cup history.

The first time Nigeria recorded a 10-0 scoreline was against Sierra Leone back in 2014.

3. NewCaledonia'sFirst-EverWorldCupGoal

The U-20 World Cup debutants eventually got their first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup in the closing stages of the encounter.

The Oceanic nation had fired blanks in their first two games, losing 0-5 to China PR and 0-11 to Spain, leaving them with only the Nigeria game to end their goal drought.

Judging by their wild celebrations after Joceline Kourevi's 89th-minute strike, New Caledonia were delighted to get on the scoresheet against Nigeria, despite the heavy defeat.

Nigeria will now turn their attention to England in the Round of 16. If the Falconets maintain similar intensity and clinical finishing, they will fancy their chances of extending their campaign in Poland. 

Italoye Ibukun