Nigeria’s Falconets aim to respond against China after Spain defeat

Nigeria’s Falconets will try to revive their 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign when they face China PR on Thursday, with captain Christianah Uzoma insisting the team can recover from their opening defeat by Spain.

The Falconets began their Group F campaign with a 2-0 loss to La Rojita on Monday. The result left Nigeria without a point from their first match, but Uzoma believes the squad can respond positively in their next fixture.

Spain took the lead in the 13th minute after a goalmouth scramble, with Marisa Garcia reacting quickest to put the European side ahead.

Nigeria remained within striking distance for much of the match, but Spain secured the victory 17 minutes from full time when Alba Cerrato scored to double their advantage.

The Falconets captain said the squad must not allow the result to affect their confidence as they prepare for their second Group F match.

“We can’t give up. We will come back in the next game, and we believe we are going to win. As the captain, I will tell my teammates not to give up. We will keep fighting until the end,” Uzoma said after the match.

The fixture against China PR represents Nigeria’s next opportunity to collect points at the tournament. After losing to Spain, the Falconets will be aiming to produce a stronger result at Arena Sosnowiec on Thursday.

Uzoma’s message to her team-mates was focused on persistence and belief, with the captain calling on Nigeria to continue competing until the end of the group-stage campaign.

The defeat by Spain was Nigeria’s first result at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, while the meeting with China PR will give the Falconets a chance to alter the momentum in Group F.

Nigeria will therefore enter Thursday’s game knowing that a positive result would provide an important response to Monday’s setback. The team’s immediate task is to turn the determination expressed by Uzoma into a performance capable of securing their first points of the tournament.

China PR will be the Falconets’ next opponents at Arena Sosnowiec, where Nigeria will look to recover from the goals scored by Garcia and Cerrato and keep their campaign moving forward.