FIFA WWC: Falcons captain eyes quarter-final qualification  

Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie says she is hopeful of her team getting a quarter-final place at least at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.

The Falcons qualified after Chile failed to beat Thailand 3-0 to qualify, with the South Americans only winning 2-0 in their final Group F match in Rennes on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Thailand too had needed to beat Chile 15-0, to upstage Nigeria for a spot in the tournamnet’s next round.

With the result in the Falcons favour, the African champions who will be playing in the Round of 16 for the first time in 20 years will face Germany in Grenoble on Saturday.

The result has thus left many Nigerians happy, with Oparanozie saying it is an opportunity her team would grab with both hands.

“I am very proud. Coming into this tournament, we agreed as a team that we are going to go past our previous best record at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“Getting through to the next round will help us achieve that. Hopefully, we can not just stop at the Round of 16 but can progress to the quarter-finals and semi-finals.”

Read Also: Falcons will shock the world in France – Oparanozie

Germany are however favourites to win the fixture after finishing in first place with nine points in Group B, in contrast to Nigeria’s third place with three points in Group A.