WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
We’ll remain focused despite our away win over South Africa’s says Flamingos coach
As the minutes tick down to the return match of Nigeria and South Africa in the FIFA U17 World Cup qualifying duel, the head coach of the Nigerian team has declared that his playerswill not leave any room for a possible sucker punch on Saturday in Ikenne.
“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. 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.”
Shakirat Moshood scored once, and 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. 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, 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.
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The delegation of South Africa’s U17 girls, Bantwana, who were beaten 3-1 at home by Nigeria’s Flamingoes, have Cote d’Ivoire’s feat as inspiration.
Like South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire also lost their home match, 3-1 to visiting Burundi. But they turned the game around, winning 3-0 away.
Nigeria’s Flamingoes will host their South African counterparts in Ikenne on Saturday, having a foreknowledge of the feat of Cote d’Ivoire.
A brace by Harmony Chidi, which followed Shakirat Moshood’s goal, steered Nigeria to a 3-1 win over their hosts in Pretoria on Saturday, but the Bantwana have sounded a big warning that they will not be in Ikenne to lie down and be slaughtered.
South Africa’s captain Katleho Malebana, whose goal early in the second half raised the hopes of the Bantwana, before Chidi’s second and Nigeria’s third, has assured that the South Africans will contest every blade of the grass with their hosts at the Remo Stars Stadium on Saturday.
Saturday’s encounter will kick off at 4 pm, with Senegalese match officials in charge.
CAF has appointed Aida Sy to serve as referee, while her compatriots Ndeye Aissa Ndiaye, Ndeye Sarr Ndiaye and Fatoumata Sall Toure will be in the roles of assistant 1, assistant 2 and fourth official respectively.
Ghanaian Naa Odofoley Nortey will be the commissioner while Agar Mezing from Cameroon will be the referee assessor.
The winner on aggregate will progress to the final round of the qualification series, with this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup taking place in Morocco, 17 October – 8 November.
Africa will present five teams (including host nation Morocco) at the finals, which has been expanded to a 24-nation championship.
The Flamingos have intensified their preparation with training sessions at the Remo Stars Institute, Ikenne-Remo, ahead of Saturday’s encounter
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
What a turn around! Cote d’Ivoire bounce back from a 3-1 home loss in U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers
In what should serve as a timely warning to the Nigeria women’s U-17 team, who secured a 3-1 away win over South Africa, their Cote d’Ivoire counterparts bounced back from a 3-1 home loss to Burundi only to win 3-0 away.
Nigeria will on Saturday in Ikenne face South Africa who, like Cote d’Ivoire, lost 3-1 at home. That Cote d’Ivoire could bounce back in the reciprocal fixture may have buoyed South Africa to attempt the same on Saturday.
After losing 3-1 at home in the first leg, the young Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire responded with a clinical 3-0 win in the return match on Wednesday, 12 March to secure passage into the third and final round of qualifiers.
From the very first minutes of the match, Adélaïde Koudougnon’s players showed unwavering determination.
Eager to make up for their deficit, they applied intense pressure on the hosts. In the 9th minute, Alimatou Zea lit the first spark by expertly converting a direct free kick, giving her team a valuable lead.
Seven minutes later, Nahomie Bah followed suit by doubling the score with a well-placed shot that left the Burundian goalkeeper with no chance.
With this two-goal advantage at halftime, Côte d’Ivoire was in a strong position, still needing just one more goal for direct qualification.
Despite the intensity of the match and growing pressure from Burundi in the second half, the Ivorians remained composed.
They continued to play with discipline and intelligence, looking for the opportunity to score that third goal, which would secure their qualification.
It was in the 69th minute that Rolande Adjoua sealed the fate of the match with an unstoppable strike. Following a beautiful combination starting from the right side, she received a perfectly weighted cross before sending the ball into the back of the net.
Côte d’Ivoire becomes the first nation to secure its ticket for the third round of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
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After getting a 3-1 win away from home, Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, Flamingos, will again clash with their South Africa counterparts, the Bantwana.
Both teams will clash in the return leg, at the Remo Stars’ Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on Saturday next week.
The winner will advance to the final round of the series, where all four winners will qualify to join hosts Morocco as Africa’s flag-bearers at this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, 17th October – 5th November.
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