Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team coach, Bankole Olowookere, says the team has corrected the lapses that led to their shocking 4–1 defeat to Canada and are now fully focused ahead of their crucial FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup clash against France scheduled for 5 p.m. today in Rabat, Morocco.
After an unexpected opening-day loss, the Flamingos are desperate to bounce back against a confident French side that edged Samoa 4–2 in their first match.
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Speaking ahead of the encounter, Coach Olowookere admitted that the defeat to Canada was painful but revealed that the team has since recovered both mentally and physically.
“The camp is calm now, though the first day was tough. After the match, it wasn’t easy, but we managed to lift the girls. We’ve had recovery sessions — swimming, light drills — and I can see they’re mentally ready again,” he said.
Olowookere didn’t shy away from admitting the defensive errors that proved costly late in the first game but assured Nigerians that those issues have been fixed.
“We identified the problem — there was a crack on the bridge, and we’ve worked hard to fix it. Our concentration dropped in the last 15 minutes against Canada, and we conceded cheap goals. We’ve worked on that, and I believe the girls will stay focused this time,” he explained.
With the pressure mounting, the coach urged Nigerians to stay behind the team and expect a strong response against the European champions as he apologized for their poor outing against Canada.
“We know Nigerians believe in us, and yes, the pressure is there. It’s not a pleasant situation, but it’s part of football — sometimes things go wrong. What matters is how we respond. We’re sorry to all our fans and promise to make them smile again after this game,” Olowookere concluded.
The Flamingos, chasing their first win of the tournament, know that a positive result this evening is vital to keeping their qualification hopes alive.
