Coach Bala Nikyu has maintained Nigeria will remain focused despite an opening day loss to Brazil at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan.
Nigeria are currently one of the six teams at Jordan 2016 in dire need of points having started off their campaign on a losing note.
Brazil on Saturday inflicted a first-ever opening match defeat on the Flamingoes with an audacious long-range shot from their skilful No 10 Micaelly, whose team have remained atop Group C following the intriguing 3-3 draw between England and North Korea.
However, 52-year-old Nikyu has insisted his side have a chance to bounce back.
"One thing with a competition is you cannot lose your first match and rule yourself out.
"Because if you remember very well, in this U17 (Women's World Cup) Ghana, after losing their first match, won the last two matches and played up to the semi-finals and won third place. That was in Azerbaijan.
"So losing the first match does not make someone to lose focus."
With two more games left to play in the group stage, Nigeria definitely still has as much chance as Brazil, North Korea and England, to progress to the knockout stages, with Group C looking even more unpredictable after the first set of matches.
Nikyu spied on England and North Korea before their match this afternoon against the English.
"I watched the two of them and from what I saw, the two teams are good ball users." he noted. "And from their own style of play, we should be able to have a way of playing against that.
"In every competition, the first match is always a bit difficult, and as such everybody is always in a rush to play. So I assume they did that because it was a first match, from the second match I'm sure they would cool down and play. Even if they don't cool down to play, we are prepared ourselves.
"I've watched them and I think we would work towards that."
The Flamingoes on Sunday trained for about two hours at the Al Jazeera training site with their eyes fixed on the make or mar game against England this afternoon at Prince Mohammed International Stadium in Zarqa.
Since the inception of the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, Nigeria have failed to qualify for the quarterfinals just once and that was in the first edition in 2008.
credit: africanfootball