By Dayo Awoniyi
South Africa’s Bantwana coach, Ntombifuthi Khumalo, has acknowledged Nigeria’s Flamingos as the superior team following their commanding 5-1 aggregate victory in the Morocco 2025 U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Despite the crushing defeat, Khumalo praised her players’ efforts, expressing both disappointment and pride.
“I am disappointed that we didn’t progress to the next stage, but I am proud of my girls for their performance,” she said.
Khumalo recognized Nigeria’s dominance in the two-legged tie.
“This is an international stage, and while some of them gave their best, Nigeria proved to be the stronger team.”
Reflecting on the experience, Khumalo emphasized that facing such a formidable opponent would prove invaluable for her team.
“Facing the same tough opponent in both legs was a challenge, but we know Nigeria excels in African competitions,” she added.
The defeat marks a setback for South Africa’s aspirations, but Khumalo remains optimistic about the lessons learned in the challenging encounter with Nigeria.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
