Head Coach of Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, Bankole Olowookere, has declared that the Flamingos are determined to secure a convincing victory over Algeria in their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final qualifying round, first leg clash on Saturday. The game will take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.
Speaking to the Nigeria Football Federation’s website on Friday, Olowookere said the team had worked hard to improve on areas identified as weaknesses in their previous matches and are confident of a strong showing.
“We have been working very hard to correct the lapses noticed in our last matches (against South Africa), and we believe we are in good form to achieve a handsome win here and then go all out in the second leg in Algeria,” Olowookere said.
The coach warned against complacency, despite the team’s recent home-and-away triumph over South Africa in the previous round of qualifiers.
“I have always told the girls that no two matches are the same, so the fact that we beat South Africa home-and-away does not mean we will rest on our oars in this final round. We have to keep our feet on the ground, keep working harder, bond better, and aim higher,” he added.
“Our mission is to pick the FIFA World Cup ticket and go to Morocco to make Nigeria proud.”
Saturday’s match will be played at a familiar ground for the team — the same venue where the Flamingos defeated South Africa’s Bantwana 2-0 last month and where the Super Falcons also recorded a 2-0 win over Algeria in a friendly last year.
The Flamingos will be relying on in-form striker Harmony Chidi, who has already netted 16 goals in the qualifiers so far, including 13 during the journey to the last World Cup finals in the Dominican Republic. Also expected to feature prominently are midfield dynamo Shakirat Moshood, who bagged four goals at the last World Cup and scored in the win over South Africa in Pretoria, and forward Aishat Animashaun, another standout from the previous round.
The reverse fixture will be held at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida, Algeria, on Friday, April 25. The winner over both legs will secure one of Africa’s tickets to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
