Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, are aiming for victory as they prepare to face New Zealand in their opening match of the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
The match is set to take place at the CFC Stadium in Santiago de los Caballeros on Wednesday at 4 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Nigeria time).
Although the official opening game of the tournament will feature host nation Dominican Republic against Ecuador later in the evening, all eyes will be on the Flamingos as they begin their campaign to surpass their bronze medal finish from the last edition in India.
Flamingos Head Coach, Bankole Olowookere, is confident in his team’s preparation and their ability to make a strong statement.
More Read
“I have confidence in the girls to deliver the goods at this competition. We have come well-prepared to do even better than we did in India,” he said.
Olowookere praised the efforts of the Nigeria Football Federation, noting that the team had a productive two-week training camp in the Dominican Republic.
Despite their readiness, Olowookere emphasized the need for caution and focus. “We do not under-rate any of our opponents. However, we will take it one match at a time and produce our best in each game in order to go all the way,” he added.
The Flamingos, who have missed just one edition of the tournament since its inception, secured their place at the 2024 finals after an impressive qualification campaign, scoring 25 goals across six matches. Harmony Chidi, a standout player during the qualifiers, contributed 13 of those goals.
Following their opener against New Zealand, the Flamingos will face Ecuador on Saturday, 19th October, before wrapping up their group-stage matches against the host nation, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, 22nd October, at the Felix Sanchez Stadium in Santo Domingo.
© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
