Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari says Nigeria will go all out for victory against hosts Côte d’Ivoire when the two sides meet in the WAFU-B U-17 Girls tournament on Thursday, insisting his players will combine attacking intent with defensive discipline.
Nigeria enter the encounter in strong form after winning their opening three matches, including a 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso in which late goals from Mary Dunstan and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi eventually broke down stubborn opposition.
Busari expects a different examination against the Ivorians but says playing the host nation will not force the Flamingos away from their approach.
“We are going to go all out,” Busari said ahead of the encounter. “We are going to combine attacking football with compact defending.”
The Nigerian coach acknowledged that Côte d’Ivoire will have the advantage of playing on home soil, but he wants his young players to embrace the occasion rather than allow the atmosphere to restrict them.
“They are the host team, but we just want to enjoy our game and play with freedom,” he added.
Nigeria have already demonstrated considerable attacking quality at the tournament. The Flamingos opened with a commanding 5-0 victory over Niger Republic before defeating Ghana 4-2, despite finishing that encounter with 10 players.
They followed those performances by beating Burkina Faso 2-0, although Busari admitted afterwards that his team had to remain patient against opponents who defended deeply.
“We just had to be patient because we are dealing with young players,” he said after that victory.
Despite their winning run, Busari believes there are still areas requiring improvement ahead of the Côte d’Ivoire challenge, particularly reducing mistakes and becoming more clinical when opportunities arrive.
“We have been working on minimising our mistakes and converting our chances,” he said.
For Busari, Thursday’s assignment is another important examination of his players’ development: attack with purpose, remain compact without the ball and play without fear against the hosts.
