Bankole Olowookere, head coach of Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, has emphasised the need for total focus as his team prepares to face South Africa in the return leg of their FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier on Saturday in Ikenne-Remo.
Despite securing a 3-1 victory in the first leg in Pretoria, Olowookere insists that the contest is far from over.
“We are very much aware that it is never over until it is over. It would be foolish to assume otherwise. Yes, we won 3-1 away, but the tie is still alive. That has been our mentality since we returned from Pretoria.”
The Flamingos’ goals in South Africa came from Shakirat Moshood and Harmony Chidi, who scored twice. However, Olowookere pointed to a recent upset in the qualifiers, where Cote d’Ivoire overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit to defeat Burundi 3-0 away, as a reminder that no team is safe until the final whistle.
“We took note of the Ivorians’ comeback against Burundi, and it reinforced our stance that this fixture is not over yet. We still have 90 minutes to play, and we must do so with full focus and mental strength.”
The return leg will kick off at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Remo Stars Stadium. Match officials arrived in Nigeria on Friday to oversee the game.
The winner of the Nigeria-South Africa fixture will advance to the final qualification round, where they will face either Botswana or Algeria. Botswana holds a slight advantage after winning their home leg 2-1.
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