Nigeria’s U-17 women’s football national team, Flamingos, will face South Africa on Saturday (today) in the penultimate round of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier in Ikenne-Remo, with the team poised for all three points, reports The Standard Gazette.
The clash is the reverse leg of the fixture with the Nigerian side leading 3-1 on aggregate.
Head coach of the Flamingos, Bankole Olowookere is hopeful that his lasses will come out of the contest winners as the coaching crew works on their mental fortitude.
“We are very much aware of the fact that it is never over until it is over. It will be foolish to assume otherwise. Yes, we won 3-1 away in South Africa, but the contest is still alive,” Olowookere said at the press conference ahead of today’s game.
“That is our mentality. That has been at the heart of our preparations since we returned from Pretoria.
“My assistants and I have been working on the team’s mental strength while drumming it into the ears of the girls that focus is key. No loss of concentration is allowed.
“Our objective is to win on Saturday and make sure of a place in the final qualifying round.”
Striker Shakirat Moshood scored once, and another scorer in the qualifying rounds, Harmony Chidi, netted a brace to earn Nigeria a 3-1 win in Pretoria last weekend—a seemingly comfortable position for a team hosting the return leg.
However, Cote d’Ivoire’s U17 girls showed that several things are still possible in football when they hammered their Burundian counterparts 3-0 away after losing the first leg 3-1 in Abidjan, in these same qualifying series.
Olowookere added: “We learnt of the result of the Ivorians in the return leg against Burundi. It further underscored our insistence that the fixture is not over and done with. There is still 90 minutes to be played, and we must play it with our hearts and maximum mental strength.”
Match officials for Saturday’s encounter, which will commence at 4 pm at the Remo Stars’ Stadium, had arrived in Nigeria on Friday.
The winner of the fixture between Nigeria and South Africa will confront the winner of the fixture between Botswana and Algeria in the final qualification round, set for next month. Botswana won the first leg at home 2-1.
The 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Morocco.
