Flamingos forward Precious Oscar has declared that Nigeria will approach their decisive FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup group match against North Korea with a winning mentality after scoring her first goal of the tournament in the 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico.
Oscar struck in the third minute of stoppage time after Oluwakemi Adegbuyi had opened the scoring in the 25th minute, helping Nigeria secure their first three points in Morocco following an opening defeat to Poland.
The youngster expressed delight at contributing to the victory, revealing that she had prayed for the strength to overcome the pressure before entering the pitch.
“Before I entered the pitch, I said to God that, please, you can help me. Anything can happen. You can help me to subdue the pressure for my team,” Oscar said.
“To God be the glory, and I’m happy that I did it. And this is my first ever World Cup goal, and I’m so happy about it.”
Oscar explained that her priority after coming on was to encourage her teammates to maintain their determination.
“When I entered the pitch, I had to encourage my teammates that it’s not over and that anything can happen, so we keep pushing despite the pressure,” she stated.
Nigeria now face defending champions North Korea on Friday, October 23, in their final Group B encounter.
North Korea lead the standings with six points after defeating Puerto Rico 6-0 and Poland 6-1, while Nigeria and Poland have three points each.
The Flamingos need a positive result to strengthen their chances of reaching the Round of 16, with the four best third-placed teams also qualifying alongside the top two from each group.
Oscar believes the Puerto Rico victory has restored confidence within the squad ahead of the difficult encounter.
“Our mindset is winning, and thank God for these three points because it’s going to boost me and my teammates to be able to come out stronger in the game against North Korea,” she declared.
