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Busari: Every match is a big test for Flamingos
Nigeria U-17 Women’s National Team head coach Hakeem Busari says every match represents an important test for the Flamingos as they continue their campaign at the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup.
Busari made the remarks after Nigeria defeated hosts Côte d’Ivoire 2-0 in their fourth match of the competition, maintaining the Flamingos’ perfect record with four wins from four games.
The coach said his team remains fully focused on every opponent and is determined to secure a place in the final.
“As I have always said, every match is a big match for us. We want to play to goal and secure the final. We do not look down on any team. We want to showcase what we are made up of as we prepare because we are not there yet,” Busari said.
He explained that the tournament is also serving as an important preparation ground ahead of the World Cup, allowing the technical team to assess the players, identify areas of strength and weakness, and make necessary adjustments.
“We want to show where we are and from there see our strong points, our deficiencies and work on them,” he added.
Despite being pleased with the latest victory, Busari acknowledged that the Flamingos still have work to do before reaching the level he expects from the team.
“For this present moment, we are able to identify our strong points and deficiencies, and we have another one ahead, which is the World Cup, so we know what we need to work on,” he stated.
Busari also praised Côte d’Ivoire for putting up a competitive fight, stressing that the hosts were a physically and tactically strong opponent.
“It was not an easy match because Côte d’Ivoire are not a pushover team. They have a strong link both physically and tactically,” he explained.
According to the coach, Nigeria deliberately relied on quick counter-transitions to exploit spaces and make the physically imposing Ivorian side cover more ground.
“We used quick counter-transition because we knew they have the size, but anytime we have a quick counter-transition, we open up the game to the flank and put them to run,” Busari said.
The coach, however, expressed disappointment at the number of chances Nigeria failed to convert, saying the match could have been settled much earlier.
“Several chances were wasted because the game was supposed to wrap up from the first half, but it was a tough one for the team,” he concluded.
The 2-0 victory extended the Flamingos’ winning run to four matches and provided another valuable competitive test as Nigeria continues its pursuit of success at the WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup.