THE Flamingos of Nigeria head coach Bankole Olowookere is confident that his team will not slip up against Liberia but has warned them that the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup ticket is not in the bag just yet.
Olowookere’s side won the first leg of the final qualifying round tie 4-1 in Monrovia on Sunday, with the reverse fixture scheduled for today in Abuja.
“We are battle-ready for the match on Friday. The girls are raring to go because they want to go to the World Cup. They are already dreaming of flying to the Dominican Republic,” Olowookere said before sounding a note of warning.
“There is so much excitement in camp, and they are self-assured. However, I have warned them that it is never over until it is over. There should be no display of over-confidence on the pitch. We must approach the match like the first leg was a drawn game.”
Harmony Chidi, Shakirat Moshood, Peace Effiong and substitute Blessing Ifitezue struck in Monrovia on Sunday and are all expected to be involved today at the MKO Abiola National Stadium as the Flamingos aim to finish off their West African opponents.
The Flamingos will take part in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the seventh time if, as expected, they overcome Liberia.
The Nigerian side featured at the inaugural edition of the tournament in New Zealand in 2008, and subsequently at Trinidad and Tobago 2010, Azerbaijan 2012, Costa Rica 2014, Jordan 2016 and India 2022, where they won the bronze medal.
