Coach Benjamin: ‘Goalless’ Falconets Must Perfect Goals Scoring Act for Round of 16, Survival at FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
Coach Prince Nwoke Benjamin Obinna, popularly known as “The Codex One,” has urged Nigeria’s Falconets to urgently improve their goalscoring and attacking coordination if they are to secure a place in the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
The Falconets go into their final Group F fixture against debutants New Caledonia on Sunday with just one point from two matches and, crucially, without a goal to their name.
Nigeria opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Spain before playing out a goalless draw against China PR.
The result against China kept the Falconets in contention, with FIFA.com confirming that the team remains in the race for a place in the knockout rounds.
Speaking to sportsbeat.ng, Coach Benjamin, who holds CAF and AFC coaching licences and has worked with clubs including Heartland Queens, Abia Queens and Free Town Stars of South Africa, believes Nigeria’s biggest concern is the poor connection between the different departments.
“From the onset, from the qualifier, the team have not shown enough quality. The team is technically and tactically sound, but the connectivity from the defence to the midfield to the attack is very poor.”
The former club coach believes the problem has become more pronounced in front of goal, with Nigeria struggling to turn possession and attacking situations into clear chances and goals.
“The act of goalscoring is very poor. Getting a goal has been very hard for the team.”
Coach Benjamin Demands Goals Against New Caledonia
With the Falconets facing a New Caledonia side that has conceded 16 goals in two matches — including a 5-0 defeat to China and an 11-0 loss to Spain — Benjamin believes Nigeria must approach the decisive fixture with a clear attacking objective.
“With the game at hand, they should win with multiple goals if it is possible.”
The match is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, at the Stadion Miejski ŁKS in Łódź, with kick-off at 2pm Nigerian time.
For Nigeria, victory is essential. The team currently has one point, while China sit on four points and Spain have already secured qualification for the knockout stage.
A strong result against New Caledonia could therefore be decisive in Nigeria’s bid to advance, particularly through the best-third-placed route.
‘Getting to the Round of 16 Is Not Enough’
Although Benjamin believes the Falconets can still progress, he remains concerned about their ability to compete against stronger opposition once they reach the knockout phase.
“I know we can get through to the best losers, but even if the team gets to the Round of 16, I don’t think they will survive the Round of 16, unless they improve significantly.
The 2026 tournament features 24 teams, with the top two sides in each of the six groups and the four best third-placed teams advancing to the Round of 16.
For Benjamin, however, qualification should be viewed as the beginning rather than the end of the challenge.
He believes Nigeria must first correct the structural problems that have prevented the team from scoring.
Defensive Improvement Not Enough
The Falconets’ goalless draw against China provided a significant defensive improvement following their opening-day defeat to Spain.
Benjamin acknowledged that aspect of the performance but warned that defensive solidity must be complemented by attacking efficiency.
“The defence did a marvellous job against China by not conceding goals, but not scoring goals is a deficiency. The team has played two games without scoring a goal.”
He wants the technical crew to improve the team’s goals scoring patterns while also strengthening the connection between midfield and attack.
“The coach needs to work on the act of goalscoring, marking ability, and good connection between the midfield and the rest of the departments because football is teamwork.”
Missing Players Have Also Had an Impact
Benjamin also identified the absence of some players who contributed during the qualifying campaign as another factor affecting the team’s performance.
He specifically mentioned Ifeanyi Kindness, who impressed during the qualifiers but was not included in the final squad.
“I know the team is missing some key players, like Ifeanyi Kindness, who did nice things in the qualifiers, but I don’t know what happened that they could not make it.”
The Falconets, however, must now focus on maximising the resources available to them as they prepare for their final group game.
Coach Benjamin: Falconets Can Still Pull a Miracle
Despite his reservations, Benjamin has not ruled out a deep run for Nigeria if the players can quickly address the deficiencies he has identified.
The coach believes the Falconets need to react faster, improve their understanding across the pitch and establish a stronger collective approach.
“If all of these can work together as quickly as possible, and react fast to situations, I think the team can pull a miracle and go far beyond expectation.”
That improvement must begin against New Caledonia.
With the Falconets yet to score after 180 minutes of football, the final Group F encounter represents both a qualification opportunity and a test of Nigeria’s attacking character.
