As celebrations continue among Nigerians at home and abroad over the cadet female national team, Flamingos’ victory in the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final, Japan’s coach has revealed why his side lost Saturday’s game.
Sports247 reports that, speaking in the wake of Japan’s 2-1 loss to the Flamingos on Saturday in Rabat, Morocco the Asian team’s coach, Sadayoshi Shirai admitted his players could not cope with the strength and speed of the Nigerians.
While serving a strong hint that Nigeria’s squad overwhelmed his team with their physical attributes, Shirai disclosed further that he knew what to expect and prepared his players for it, but confessed that they simply could not hold their opponents.
“First of all, I have to say that Nigeria were a very strong team. We understood their strengths, but there were moments when they managed to get in behind our defence.
“Even so, I think our players fought incredibly hard until the very end, doing everything they could to cope with Nigeria’s speed and physical power,” Shirai recalled.
He also praised his players for their gallant efforts in Saturday’s game, noting that they fought hard from beginning until the end, but admitted it could have been a different result had they been able to score earlier than their 80th minute goal.
“I believe that if we had managed to score earlier, we might have had a better chance of winning the match. I want them to be proud of themselves.
“The way they fought until the very end of this World Cup will have inspired many people, and I hope they can take confidence from that,” Shirai concluded.
