Head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, Akeem Busari, has praised his tactical approach following the team’s victory over Korea DPR, which secured qualification for the knockout stage of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos stunned the back-to-back defending champions 3-1 on Friday in Rabat, Morocco, to finish second in Group B with six points from three matches.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Busari explained how his tactical adjustments helped Nigeria secure the crucial victory against the Koreans.
“We had to force them away from their tactics because they are quicker to the ball. If we allowed them space within two or three yards, they would have two, three or four players around us because of their youthful exuberance and speed on the ball. We forced them to play our style and used fast counter-attacks to create space, which gave us the opportunities to score our goals,” the tactician said.
Nigeria will discover their Round of 16 opponents on Saturday when Group F concludes its final matches.
Looking ahead to the knockout stage, enterprising left-back Rodiat Yusuf, who scored her first goal of the tournament against Korea DPR, warned her teammates against complacency.
“We should keep our heads up. The match we have played is over, and we just have to keep doing our best in every match. We should give 100 per cent, and we will always get our maximum result,” she said.
The Flamingos will face the runners-up from Group F in their Round of 16 encounter on Thursday.
