Falconets head coach Moses Aduku has expressed satisfaction with his side’s improved performance despite their goalless draw against China, Completesports.com reports. The West Africans bounced back strongly from their 2-0 defeat to Spain in their opening game, putting in a more disciplined display against China.
China came close to breaking the deadlock on two occasions, with Li Chenyu hitting the crossbar just 82 seconds into the match before Xue Sifan struck the woodwork early in the second half. Nigeria also created opportunities, with Benfica striker Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei causing problems for the Chinese defence. However, the Falconets were unable to find the decisive goal. The result keeps Nigeria’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage alive.
Despite missing out on maximum points, Aduku praised his players for their improved display and believes the team is getting better with each game. “The honest truth is that we came to win, but I think China also showed some resilience in the game,” Aduku was quoted as saying by FIFA.com. “It was not a bad game for both sides, but the little chances we created, we could not take them.
“But honestly, I saw improvement in my team from the Spanish game, so we’re getting better. It’s not the result we wanted, but we did not play badly.”