Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team captain, Harmony Chidi, says lifting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be an unforgettable milestone for the country.
The Flamingos are set to face Japan in the final in Morocco, marking the first time an African team has reached this stage of the global competition.
The team secured their spot in the title decider after a commanding 3-1 victory over Brazil in the semi-final. Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening Group B fixture, the Flamingos quickly regrouped to record five consecutive wins, overcoming Puerto Rico, two-time reigning champions DPR Korea, Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil.
Speaking to FIFA ahead of the final match, Chidi expressed optimism about the team’s chances against the Japanese side.
“Reaching the final is a very big thing, it’s a great thing and it’s something that we have dreamed of…Winning would be something myself, my country, my team-mates, our coaches, and everybody would be proud of”, Childi.
The Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari attributed the recovery of the team from their opening loss to intensive psychological guidance and a change in the attitude of the players.
“After the first game, we needed to sit them down, psychologically talk to them, talk about our game plan and all we have been doing in the sessions”, Busari stated.
The coach added that the final will be a completely different tactical challenge for both sides.
“From what we saw against DPR Korea, I think it’s the core of what we should expect more of from the Japanese. But it’s a different ballgame because, for both us and them, the game will not be the same”, he explained.
Busari warned his players against complacency, stressing that they must remain focused on the ultimate prize until the final whistle.
“We want to make our mentality right, we want to put our attitude down to the players as well so they can see the job is not yet done; we’re still on the track race. We’ll just have to really fight on until we get there”, Busari.
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