Nigeria's U-17 Women's National Team, Bankole Olowookere, says the Flamingos will be more careful when they battle South Americans, Chile, in their last group B game at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in India.
The Flamingos opened their campaign in India with a 2-1 defeat to European powerhouse Germany but came back stronger in their next game as they humiliated New Zealand 4-0.
Olowookere spoke about this after the Flamingos’ 4-0 win over New Zealand on Friday.
“We put the loss against Germany behind us and approached the (New Zealand) game with determination,’’ Olowookere said on NFF TV.
The Flamingos, in their usual manner, missed a lot of scoring chances but were still able to score four goals against their poor opponents, but Olowookere is not worried, insisting his players will improve in the final third against the Chileans."
“I’m not worried, if you have been watching us from the African qualifiers for the World Cup, these things happen and every time we always remember that these are young girls coming up.
“It’s part of the developmental process, we will always see this kind of things in a game of their age, they will be missing some chances, but what is very important is that they can create chances.”
The Flamingos are levelled on three points with the Chileans, but need just a draw against the South Americans to advance due to their superior goals tally.
Olowookere said his side will be cautious in the game with the hope of reaching the last eight against the South Americans.
“We will approach the Chile game the same way we approached Germany and New Zealand, it’s just unfortunate that the Germans turned the game around."
“But we will be more careful against Chile because it’s a step to the quarter-finals and also a step to exiting the tournament. We will be very mindful of that and approach the game with caution, but we will be more focused and determined.”
Flamingos have a superior +3 goals difference against the South Americans’ -4 goals deficit.
In Group A Africa’s other representatives Morocco, with three points, need a win to advance, but face an uphill task against leaders USA, who have four points, on Monday. Second-place Brazil, also with four points, have an easier task against hosts India.
In other games, Mexico beat Spain 2-1 as China fell to Colombia 2-0 in Group C on Saturday.
Also, France lost to an impressive Tanzania side 2-1, while leaders Japan thrashed Canada 4-0 in Group D on Saturday. Second-place Tanzania, Africa’s representatives, need a win against Canada on Tuesday to advance to the knockout phase for the first time.