Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has expressed confidence that his side is fully prepared to neutralise Benin Republic’s key attacking threat, Yenido Romaine Gandonou, ahead of the decisive second leg of the 2027 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier.
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Nigeria heads into the return fixture with a 3-2 aggregate advantage after edging Benin in an entertaining first leg at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, where Gandonou emerged as one of the standout performers despite the Flamingos securing victory.
The Benin forward, who has also featured for her country’s senior women’s national team, has attracted attention with her pace and attacking quality, but Busari insists his players know exactly what is at stake.
“She’s a very talented player and we know what she can do, but we’re preparing for her. My players understand the importance of this game and they’ll give everything to get the job done,” Busari said.
The Flamingos coach stressed that while stopping Gandonou will be important, Nigeria’s primary objective remains imposing their own style of play and creating enough chances to secure qualification.
Busari also revealed that the technical crew has worked on improving the team’s finishing after the first-leg encounter, where Nigeria created several opportunities but failed to convert many of them.
“It’s not just about containing one player. We also have to take our chances when they come because that’s what will make the difference over the two legs,” he added.
The Flamingos are chasing another appearance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, having established themselves as one of Africa’s strongest teams at youth level with multiple appearances and a historic third-place finish at the 2022 tournament in India.
The winner of the tie will progress to the next stage of the African qualifiers as the race for places at the 2027 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup continues.
