Idris Adesina
National women’s U-17 team, the Flamingoes, will on Saturday (today) face Brazil in their first match in Group C of the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan.
The biennial competition, which began on Friday, will end on October 21.
The Flamingoes, who have appeared at every edition of the tournament since 2008, have yet to go beyond the quarterfinal stage. They have reached the quarterfinals on three occasions– 2010, 2012 and 2014.
At Jordan 2016, Nigeria will be seeking to go beyond bitter West African rivals, Ghana, who are the first African country to reach the semifinals of the U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Ghanaians finished third in 2012 after beating Germany 1-0 in the losers final.
To achieve this target, the coach Bala Nikyu side will have to scale through the first hurdle posed by the Brazilians. A victory in the match will serve as an Independence Day gift for the country as it celebrates its 56th anniversary.
Nigeria will follow up the match with clashes against England on October 3 before their final group match against North Korea on October 8.
The match, which will be played at the King Abdullah II International Stadium, Amman, will be the second time the two sides will clash in the history of the competition. The first meeting between them in 2008 ended in a 2-2 draw.
The Nigerian team, which is captained by Rasheedat Ajibade, went through the qualifiers for the competition unbeaten.
The Flamingoes beat Namibia and South Africa home and away to qualify for this year’s World Cup. Other African teams at the competition are Cameroon, who are making their debut at the competition, and Ghana.
The Brazilians however got to Jordan after winning the 2016 South American U-17 Women’s Championship. They qualified alongside Paraguay and Venezuela for the 16-team tournament.
In their preparations for Jordan 2016, the Flamingoes were camped in Abuja and played friendly matches against local teams but the Brazilians played friendly matches against hosts Jordan and Cameroon.
After Brazil defeated Jordan 7-0 in their first match, they were beaten by 2-0 by Cameroon in their last friendly match.
Former Super Falcons coach, Ismaila Mabo, believes the Flamingoes could deliver an Independence Day gift to Nigerians.
“Although the preparation they had for the tournament was not that good, I believe the girls will want to prove their worth to the world,” he said.
“The loss suffered by Brazil to Cameroon shows that they are not infallible. They can be beaten like any other team. What the girls need to show is composure and confidence when the match begins. They can go past Brazil and give Nigeria a worthy Independence Day gift.
“A win will boost their confidence going into the England match which would be tough too. But with a victory in this even by the slimmest of margins will ease pressure off them as they fight to go beyond the quarterfinals.”
But former Falcons striker, Stella Mbachu, advised that Nigerians should not expect much from the team.
She said, “The girls do not owe anybody anything because their preparation for the World Cup was not the best they deserve. So, Nigerians should not expect much from the team.
“But I believe that since the World Cup is an avenue for them to sell themselves to the big clubs around the world they would put in their best. I believe that they can beat Brazil despite the fact that they have a rich history in women’s football.
“The match will be a tough one for them but with team work and disciplined play, they will get a win and go ahead to the next stage.”
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