From No-spot To Third-spot: Nigeria’s Flamingos Delight In historic World Cup Bronze

Crushed on the away goal-rule by Cameroon (3-3 mixture after 2-2 in Benin Metropolis and 1-1 in Yaounde), Nigeria’s U17 women, Flamingos missed taking part within the FIFA U17 Girls’s World Cup finals for the primary time in 12 months 2018.

The women had featured on the inaugural version of the FIFA U17 Girls’s World Cup in New Zealand, and after a win (over South Korea), loss (to England) and draw (with Brazil) in Wellington and Christchurch, they flew again after the group part. Two years later, the Flamingos reached the quarter finals on the second version in Trinidad and Tobago after beating North Korea, hosts Trinidad and Tobago and Chile for optimum factors within the group. However they misplaced to eventual winners South Korea in a quarter-final match in Marabella.

Two years later, in Azerbaijan, the Flamingos drew 1-1 with Canada, thumped hosts Azerbaijan 11-0 and hit Colombia 3-0 to succeed in the quarter-finals. Nonetheless, France gained a penalty shootout 5-3 in Baku after each groups had failed to search out goal in regulation time.

In 2014, one other spectacular group stage marketing campaign (2-1 defeat of China, 2-1 defeat of Colombia and 3-0 defeat of Mexico) ended with a 3-0 defeat by Spain within the quarter-finals.

In 2016, Jordan had been the hosts. The Flamingos had been again dwelling after dropping to Brazil and North Korea and drawing with England.

There was no competitors in 2020 due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier than arriving in India, Coach Bankole Olowookere’s women had pounded Democratic Republic of Congo 3-0 in Kinshasa and 5-0 in Benin Metropolis, and prevailed over Egypt 4-0 in Abuja and 2-0 in Cairo. Of their last qualification fixture, they pipped Ethiopia 1-0 in Addis Ababa and the second leg in Abuja ended scoreless.

After a 10-day last tenting programme within the Turkish metropolis of Kocaeli, Olowookere stated: “We will probably be going through a troublesome activity on the market in India however I imagine that if we play as a group, we will get one thing out of the World Cup. I’ve a gaggle of women who’re bold and so they worry no group. This might stand us in good stead in India.”

After going one objective up in opposition to Germany in Goa on the primary day of the event, the Flamingos capitulated 2-1, however refused to bow their heads. They spanked New Zealand 4-0 with some scintillating shows additionally in Goa and edged Chile 2-1 in Bhubaneswar to succeed in the knockout stage.

In opposition to the USA within the quarter-finals in Navi Mumbai, group spirit and group work had been necessary to maintain the scoreline 1-1 and take the session to penalties. Substitute goalkeeper Linda Jiwuaku, introduced in for the shootout, saved one of many kicks and an American participant fluffed her kick to provide Nigeria victory.

Again in Goa, one other penalty shootout was wanted in opposition to Colombia within the semi-finals. With the Flamingos forward and a kick from glory, defender Omamuzo Edafe, who scored the penalty kick throughout play and the winner within the shootout in opposition to USA, noticed her kick crash in opposition to the upright. Nigeria misplaced in sudden demise when defender Consolation Folorunsho misplaced her kick.

The third-place match additionally needed to be settled through penalty shootout, after the Flamingos conceded three objectives within the final 18 minutes to tie the sport 3-3. Victory within the shootout, regardless of defender Tumininu Adeshina’s miss, earned Nigeria a historic third-place on the finals after being nowhere close to the final event in Uruguay.

“We give God the glory. It was a roller-coaster however we learnt a whole lot of classes and it’ll assist the gamers as they graduate to different ranges of the Nationwide Workforce. We strove onerous to get our palms on the trophy however we are going to take the bronze medals for now and return dwelling to go and put together onerous for the subsequent version,” Coach Olowookere stated.

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