Nigeria’s U-17 women’s coach, Bankole Olowookere, has conveyed his strong belief that the Flamingos can deliver Italy their first loss of the tournament when the two teams face off in the round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco on Tuesday.
The Italians, who finished first in Group A ahead of Brazil, Morocco, and Costa Rica, remain undefeated, while Nigeria advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams following a 4–0 victory over Samoa in their last group match.
Despite Italy’s impressive performance, Olowookere is confident that the Flamingos are ready to create an upset in their inaugural encounter and continue their campaign in Morocco.
“In football, no team is invincible. Any team can be defeated; it all hinges on how well you prepare,” Olowookere stated with assurance during an interview with NFF Media on Sunday.
“Indeed, Italy has not experienced a loss thus far, but there is always a first time for everything. Perhaps their initial defeat will come at the hands of Nigeria. That could mark the end of their tournament, but not ours.”
The coach, who led Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2022 tournament in India, disclosed that his players are highly driven and eager to prolong their participation in the competition.
“My girls are not prepared to return home. They still have much to accomplish here. Until they achieve what they set out for, they are resolute in their pursuit,” he remarked.
Olowookere also reflected on the team’s challenging start to the tournament, having suffered losses to Canada and France in their opening two matches before responding convincingly against Samoa. He attributed their resurgence to mental fortitude and renewed confidence.
“After losing those two matches, which we truly should not have lost, we needed to reset ourselves. It was a situation that required mending,” he elaborated.
“I took the time with my technical crew and staff to ensure we engaged in a mental game with the girls. We had to communicate with them, soothe their nerves, and help them regain their belief that they could succeed.
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The Flamingos went on to deliver a commanding 4–0 win over Samoa, achieving their internal target of overturning a four-goal deficit from earlier matches.
“After scoring three goals in the first half, we maintained our tempo. Samoa began to defend deeper, but we knew we needed at least four goals to meet our target, so we kept pushing until we finally got the fourth,” Olowookere said.
Looking ahead to Monday’s knockout fixture in Rabat, the coach said the team had analyzed and corrected the errors that had cost them earlier matches.
“We’ve learned from our earlier mistakes, especially from the match against Canada, where we conceded early due to poor concentration,” he explained.
Olowookere concluded by stressing that there is no room for error in the knockout phase and reaffirmed his side’s determination to progress.
“We know that in the knockout stage, there’s no second chance. You lose, and you’re out,” he said. “So we are fully focused on winning this match against Italy and progressing to the quarter-finals.”
