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Wake up early as the Super Falcons of Nigeria are set to face the Lionesses of England in a knockout 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup clash.
The competition has reached its crunch point as England and Nigeria square off for a spot in the 2023 Women's World Cup quarterfinals.
Prior to thrashing China 6-1 and securing first place in Group D, the Lionesses cruised into the competition with back-to-back 1-0 victories against Haiti and Denmark.
With one victory over the Matildas and two 0-0 draws against Ireland and Canada, Nigeria finished Group B play behind co-hosts Australia.
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With Nigeria ranked 40th in FIFA's official rankings, England are favorites to win the game and also the competition.
Super Falcons and Lioness Round of 16 preview
Nigeria has now moved to the knockout stage for the second consecutive tournament despite being the underdog in two of their three group-stage games.
Nigeria will try to advance further after losing to Germany in the round of 16 in 2019.
Nigeria, which has only won one game at this World Cup, will battle hard against a formidable England squad.
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Nigeria will make their third participation in the knockout stage, and England will make their fifth.
The Lionesses have advanced to the quarterfinals of five consecutive World Cups and have only let up one goal so far this tournament.
Randy Waldrum on Super Falcons vs England
After the Super Falcons of Nigeria moved from the group stage undefeated and got to the round of 16 just as they did in 2019, Super Falcons Head Coach Randy Waldrum celebrated the team.
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He then made a preview ahead of the clash against the Lionesses of England, stating that the team can pull off the impossible.
He said, “When you look at the Olympic gold medallists [Canada] and Australia and Ireland as well.
"If you were to ask me before the tournament realistically what the odds were of doing that, I probably wouldn’t have believed.
"But it’s a testament to these players. They’ve not been given everything that maybe other federations have but once they got the opportunity to get here, they put everything into it.
"I just feel like they all believe we’re destined for something special here.
“Bring on the European champions. It seems like it’s fitting that we get them. We will come up with a plan so don’t count us out.”
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Super Falcons on England
Assistant coach Ann Chiejine said, “The World Cup is the biggest stage and we just have to do it here.”
Attacking midfielder Toni Payne, added, “Anything can happen. We just have to go onto the pitch and do our best. "We want to win and reach the next stage.”
Sarina Wiegman on Super Falcons vs England
Lioness Head Coach Sarina Wiegman after the game against China gave an overview of what to expect from her team going forward.
She said, “I think we are growing into this tournament. I think we had a great performance.
“Everyone really believed in it [the formation] straight away and you could see that on the pitch. They were really excited about it.
"We want to use the qualities of the squad as optimal as possible. The team showed they were really adaptable.
“You saw that the team was enjoying every goal, except the one from China.”
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Super Falcons of Nigeria vs the Lionesses of England Head-to-Head record
1995 - England 3-2 Nigeria
The first meeting between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Lionness of England took place in a 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup game.
At Karlstad in Sweden, thanks to a Karen Walker goal and brace from Karen Farley, England recorded a 3-2 victory against Nigeria on the 10th of June 1995.
2002 - Nigeria 1-0 England
At Carrow Road home of Norwich City FC, the Super Falcons recorded a 1-0 victory against the Lionesses of England.
Florence Omagbemi scored the only goal in the friendly game as the Super Falcons defeated England on the 23rd of July, 2002
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2004 - Nigeria 3-0 England
At the Madejski Stadium of Reading FC the Super Falcons of Nigeria recorded a 3-0 victory against England on the 22nd of April, 2004.
Rita Nwadike and a brace from Perpetual Nkwocha gave the Super Falcons a comfortable victory.
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Lionesses of England star player
Lauren James, a forward for Chelsea, has the most goals and assists at this year's World Cup despite not playing in England's opening match.
She scored the game-winning goal against Denmark with a thunderbolt from distance, and she followed that up with a fantastic brace and three assists against China.
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Super Falcons of Nigeria star player
The star player for the Super Falcons is Asisat Oshoala, the five-time winner of the African Women's Footballer of the Year award.
One of the top goal scorers in the world, the Barcelona striker won the Champions League in 2023 while playing for the Catalan club.
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Ashleigh Plumptre: England vs Nigeria
The clash between Nigeria and England will be a special one for Super Falcons defender Ashleigh Plumptre.
Plumptre, born in Leicester City, opted to play for England at several youth levels.
She made the decision to switch her international allegiance to Nigeria and competed at the 2022 Africa Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON).
Plumptre went viral on social media due to photos of her relatives, and will now will represent Nigeria against England at the World Cup.
Super Falcons of Nigeria vs Lioness of England Time and Where to watch the round of 16 World Cup clash
The Super Falcons of Nigeria take on the Lioness of England at the Brisbane Stadium, which has a tournament capacity of 46,851.
The game will kick off at 8.30 a.m. Nigerian time on Monday, August 7, 2023.
The Super Falcons' game against England will be available on Supersport, Afrosport, and Blend TV.
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