Nigeria U-20 Women’s Coach names immediate target in World Cup qualification race
Nigeria U-20 Women’s coach Bankole Olowookere has named the teams immediate target as they push for FIFA U-20 Women’s World qualification.
Nigeria’s Flamingos are up against Burkina Faso in the second-leg of their third qualifying round fixture. With the tie level on aggregate following a 1-1 first-leg result, the Nigerian coach has refused to look beyond the next game, insisting all hands are on deck to get the victory this Saturday in Abuja.
He said: “We have one hurdle to cross before the final hurdle, and that is what we are thinking about. Yes, we know it would be either Senegal or Liberia in the final round, but we have to first get past the roadblock mounted by Burkina Faso.
“We threw away a lot of opportunities in the first leg. If we had converted those chances, we would be sleeping easy and thinking this was a formal match, but we did not. On Saturday, we must convert our chances and that can only be done by good presence of mind and focus.”
Olowookere led the Flamingos to a third-place finish at the last edition of the global finals in India and knows only victory on Saturday will propel his girls to a final-round fixture that will present the opportunity for a return to the World Cup.
Nigeria will welcome Burkina Faso to the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja on Saturday, May 18, 2024, with the winner going on to face either Senegal or Liberia in the final qualifying round.
Senegal defeated Liberia 3-1 in the first leg of their fixture in Dakar and look poised to be the team waiting in that final round.
