Coach Nelly Orisakwe could not contain her joy after leading the Delta State Women’s Football Team to a historic gold medal victory over the Flamingos—the Nigerian U-17 National Team—at the Gateway Games in Abeokuta.
The Flamingos, competing as part of the Invited Junior Athletes Initiative (IJA), had dominated the tournament and remained unbeaten until the final.
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However, they fell short against Delta State in a tense match that ended goalless in regulation time.
Delta triumphed 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout at the main bowl of the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Kuto, Abeokuta.
In an exclusive chat with Sports247, Coach Nelly was ecstatic, saying, “I am super proud to beat the Flamingos in the finals. I’m proud of the girls, and I’m proud of myself.”
When asked how she was able to overcome such a formidable opponent, she revealed her strategic approach:
“I’ve been closely monitoring them since the last time we played. I also watched their other matches and used that information to re-strategize for the final.”
On how she kept her team motivated, Coach Nelly emphasized the support from the state and her belief in the team’s ability:
“I told the girls that the state government has been encouraging and supportive. It was our turn to make the state proud.
We did it at the NDDC, and we came to this festival determined to prove that we can do it again on the national stage. Even when things weren’t going our way, we stayed focused on our goal.”
Asked whether facing the national team was intimidating, she was firm in her response:
“No, we can’t be intimidated. We were playing our fellow girls. We’ve played them before, and we knew we could prove ourselves again.”
Looking ahead, Coach Nelly concluded with confidence:
“What’s next? Wait for Delta State at the Youth Games. We want to win that as well.”
Delta State are leading on the overall medals table as the game will come to an end of Friday, 30th May 2025.
