Following their narrow qualification to the U17 Women’s World Cup Round of 16, Nigeria’s U-17 women’s head coach, Bankole Olowookere, firmly belief that the Flamingos can shock the high-flying Italians when both sides clash in Morocco.
The match, billed for Tuesday evening in Rabat, will see Nigeria face Italy for the first time at this level, with the Europeans unbeaten so far after topping Group A ahead of Brazil, Morocco, and Costa Rica.
Nigeria, on the other hand, reached the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams, following a resounding 4–0 victory over Samoa in their final group match, a result that revived their campaign after two earlier defeats to Canada and France (Aggregate: 6-1).
Read More: Flamingos to Face Italy in U-17 Women’s World Cup Knockout Stage
“Maybe Their First Defeat Will Come Against Nigeria” – Flamingos
Speaking to NFF Media on Sunday, Olowookere exuded optimism that his team is primed to upset the odds.
“In football, no team is unbeatable. Anyone can be beaten; it depends on how you prepare yourself,” the coach said confidently.
“Yes, Italy have not lost any match so far, but there’s always a first time for everything. Maybe their first defeat will come against Nigeria. That could be the end of the tournament for them, not for us.”
The tactician, who guided Nigeria to a historic third-place finish at the 2022 edition in India, said his players are fully motivated and mentally ready to continue their journey in Morocco.
“My girls are not ready to go home. They still have a lot to achieve here. Until they get what they came for, they are determined to keep going,” he added.
Read More: Nigeria’s Flamingos Fell to Canada in U17 Women’s World Cup Opener
Overcoming a Difficult Start
Speaking on Nigeria’s rocky start (back-to-back losses to Canada (2–1) and France (1–0)), Olowookere said the turnaround against Samoa was a product of self-belief and mental fortitude.
“When we lost those two games, which we really shouldn’t have lost, we had to reset ourselves. It was a broken situation that needed fixing,” he explained.
“I took time with my technical crew and staff to make sure we played a mental game with the girls. We had to talk to them, calm them down, and make them believe again that they could do it.”
The mental reset paid off handsomely as Nigeria thrashed Samoa 4–0, meeting their internal goal of overturning a four-goal deficit in group performance metrics.
“After scoring three goals in the first half, we maintained our tempo. Samoa began to defend deeper, but we knew we needed at least four goals to meet our target, so we kept pushing until we finally got the fourth,” the coach noted.
Lessons Learned, Eyes on Quarter-Finals
Ahead of Tuesday’s knockout game, Olowookere confirmed that his team had analyzed their previous errors and made the necessary tactical adjustments.
“We’ve learned from our earlier mistakes, especially from the match against Canada, where we conceded early due to poor concentration,” he said.
“Against France, we conceded a late goal in the final minute, but you could see that the girls were learning from each game.”
“That’s the essence of a tournament, improvement from match to match.”
The coach emphasized that there will be no second chances at this stage of the tournament and urged his players to maintain focus and discipline.
“We know that in the knockout stage, there’s no second chance. You lose, and you’re out,” he stated firmly.
“So we are fully focused on winning this match against Italy and progressing to the quarter-finals.”
Nigeria’s Flamingos are seeking to build on their impressive run in the 2022 tournament, where they defeated the USA in the quarter-finals and finished third overall; their best-ever result at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. Nigeria time) at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
