Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s football team coach, Bakole Olowookere has revealed that the team will not underrate the Bantwana of South Africa ahead of their clash on Saturday.
The match is expected to be held at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Saturday, the Flamingos will be hoping to complete the job after winning the first leg 3-1 in South Africa.
Olowookere reminded the players that the tie is not over, and they should avoid complacency in order to advance to the next stage of the qualifiers.
He said, “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 give Nigeria a 3-1 win in Pretoria last weekend.
However, Cote d’Ivoire’s U17 girls did the unthinkable with a stunning 3-0 win over Burundi away after losing the first leg 3-0 in Abidjan.
The experienced coach has urged the team to take a leaf from the match between Cote d’Ivoire, and Burundi to avoid switching off.
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 and done with. 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 4pm 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.
