Head Coach Bankole Olowookere has assured that the Nigeria U17 girls have their minds firmly trained on Saturday’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying match against their counterparts from Burkina Faso, and not on the final round of the qualifiers against either of Senegal and Liberia.

“We have one hurdle to cross before the final hurdle, and that is what we are thinking about. Yes, we know it would be either Senegal or Liberia in the final round, but we have to first get past the roadblock mounted by Burkina Faso.

“We threw away a lot of opportunities in the first leg. If we had converted those chances, we would be sleeping easy and thinking this is a formality match, but we did not. On Saturday, we must convert our chances and that can only be done by good presence of mind and focus.”

Olowookere led the Flamingos to third-place finish at the last edition of the global finals in India, and knows only victory on Saturday will propel his girls to a final round fixture that will present the opportunity for a return to the World Cup.

Senegal thrashed Liberia 3-1 in the first leg of their fixture in Dakar and look poised to be the team waiting in that final round.

On Thursday, the Flamingos received motivation from the NFF Technical Director, Coach Augustine Eguavoen and the CEO of Enugu Rangers FC, Barr. Amobi Ezeaku, who were both at the team’s training session.

Eguavoen said: “I’m pleased with what I have seen, and I can assure you that I will deliver my monetary gift to you after the match.” On his part, Ezeaku, who also expressed delight with the display of the girls at training, promised the team the sum of one million naira.

Saturday’s encounter at the MKO Abiola National Stadium will commence at 4.30pm. The first leg in Bamako last Saturday ended 1-1.

Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are back in the country following their FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying match against Burkina Faso’s U17 girls in Bamako, Mali on Saturday that ended in a 1-1 draw.

Head Coach Bankole Olowookere said on arrival in Abuja on Tuesday that the support of Nigerians based in Bamako helped put the Flamingos in the spirit during the first leg, and the tactician is calling on Nigerians based in Abuja and environs to storm the MKO Abiola National Stadium this Saturday to support the girls as they aim to stroll past the Burkinabes into the final round of the race.

“We appreciate the support of Nigerians for the Flamingos over the years, but we are calling specially for their support this weekend when we take on the Burkina Faso girls in the return leg of our qualifying fixture. The Flamingos will be ready to do the nation proud by winning to reach the last round of the qualification series.

“I have the players to do the job. All we are asking for is support from the stands. Our objective is to not only win the ticket, but to go to the World Cup and surpass our last outing of third-place finish in India in 2022.”

Chidi Harmony scored for Nigeria in the 55^th minute but poor communication in the defence led to Burkina Faso equalizing with six minutes left through Rainata Oubda.

Victory over the Burkinabes will set the Flamingos up for the final qualifying fixture, against the winner of the Senegal/Liberia fixture. The Senegalese lead 3-1 going into the second leg in Monrovia this weekend.

Burundi took a giant stride towards the final qualifying round for the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup with a staggering 18-0 demolition of Djibouti in the first leg of their third round tie on Sunday.

In a one-sided contest relocated to Ethiopia, the young Burundian stars ran riot, with Esperence Habonima and Roy Nzoyikorera scoring 13 goals between them in an utterly dominant display.

Habonima etched her name into the record books with a remarkable seven-goal haul, hitting the target in the 7th, 52nd, 57th, 66th, 70th, 82nd and 86th minutes.

Her strike partner Nzoyikorera was not to be outdone, however, bagging a six-goal blitz after opening the scoring with just 55 seconds on the clock.

Nzoyikorera added further strikes in the 11th, 34th, 45th, 48th and 72nd minutes as Burundi ran rampant.

The result leaves Djibouti, who had received byes in the opening two rounds, facing an uphill battle to keep their World Cup dream alive ahead of Wednesday’s return leg in Ethiopia.

For Burundi, the comprehensive first-leg victory continues their impressive run in these qualifiers, having already dispatched Botswana 4-1 and 2-0 in the previous round.

With one foot firmly in the final qualifying round, the Burundian starlets will fancy their chances of advancing to challenge either Ethiopia or Kenya for a coveted place at the U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic later this year.

Meanwhile, Nigeria, Senegal, and Morocco took significant strides towards the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup as qualifiers intensified across Africa this weekend.

In Bamako, Nigeria‘s Flamingos seized the initiative against Burkina Faso with a crucial 1-1 away draw against a tough Burkina Faso side on Saturday in the first leg of the third and penultimate round of the African qualifiers for the 2024 World Cup.

Chidi Harmony’s 55th-minute strike handed them a 1-0 advantage heading into the return leg in Abuja on May 18th. 

However, Rainata Oubda’s late equaliser for the Etalons ensured the tie remained delicately poised at 1-1.

Senegal‘s Lionesses also grabbed a two-goal cushion in their bid to reach the final round, overcoming Liberia 3-1 in Thiès. 

Marie Sarr’s quickfire double put the hosts in control before Mariama Faty extended their lead after the interval. 

Brown’s late penalty for Liberia provided a glimmer of hope ahead of the return fixture in Monrovia on May 19th, but Senegal will fancy their chances of progressing.

Meanwhile, in Berkane, Morocco’s Lionesses took a giant stride towards the next phase, thrashing Algeria 4-0 in a one-sided affair on Friday night.

Ines Aboucharif, Romaissa Ihssan, and Ouafae Bentahri were on target for the rampant Moroccans, who also benefitted from an Algerian own goal by Hannane Sehoul.

CAF