Falcons saved by just one goal or missed penalty kick, advance to meet Germany on Saturday

Nigeria’s Super Falcons on Thursday finally qualified for the Round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, after a long wait.

The Falcons qualified after Chile failed to beat Thailand as needed to qualify, only winning 2-0 in their final Group F match at the Roazhon Park in Rennes on Thursday.

Chile had needed to win 3-0, or Thailand had needed to beat Chile 15-0, to upstage Nigeria who had been waiting since playing their final Group A match on Monday.

But they failed to take advantage of a penalty kick late in the game which could have given them the needed goal.

The Super Falcons had since Monday waited with bated breath as the four tickets were being clinched one by one, first by China, then by Brazil and later by Cameroon.

Now that they have qualified, they will meet Germany on Saturday at Grenoble in the first match of the Round of 16 stage.

The Falcons have only advanced beyond the group stage once in their earlier seven appearances at the World Cup, and they lost to the Germans 1-0 in the 2011 edition of the competition.

How They Finished

Group Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos

A Nigeria 3 1 0 2 2 4 -2 3 3rd

B China 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 4 3rd

C Brazil 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6 3rd

D Argentina 3 0 2 1 3 4 -1 2 3rd

E Cameroon 3 1 0 2 3 5 -2 3 3rd

F Chile 3 1 0 2 2 5 -3 3 3rd

How They Qualified

Team. W D L GF GA GD Pts Opponents

Brazil 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6 France

China 1 1 1 1 1 0 4 Italy

Cameroon 1 0 2 3 5 -2 3 England

Nigeria 1 0 2 2 4 -2 3 Germany