Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team thrashed Egypt 4-0 in the first leg of the U-17 FIFA World Cup qualification series on Sunday at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.
The Flamingos went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead, thanks to goals from Opeyemi Ajakaye and Omowunmi Bello.
In the 54th minute, Miracle Usani slammed home a low shot just outside the opposition’s area before Omowunmi Bello grabbed her second and Nigeria’s fourth in a resounding victory.
Speaking after the match, head coach of the Nigerian team Olowookere Bankole was not too impressed with the tactics employed by the Egyptians despite a comfortable win for his side. He said:
“With the way they approached the game, you could see that they came here to defend. They tried to frustrate us and that’s why they parked themselves behind the ball for most of the game. We were able to take the game to them, penetrate their areas and score the goals.”
In his post-match interview, Egypt head coach, Mohamed Mohsen said “everything is possible in football” when asked if his team can overturn the fixture in the second leg in Cairo on April 30th. Responding to that, Bankole said:
“Before the game he said he was going to beat us 3-0 here. So now we end up giving them 4-0. I am not bothered by his statements. There are some areas we need to work on. I am only going back to work in my team and see how we can get a good result when we go out there.”
