Tag: India 2022

India 2022: Flamingos expected back in Nigeria today

The Bronze medal-winning Flamingos of Nigeria are expected back in the country today from India.

The Nigerian U-17 girls defeated Germany 3-2 on Penalties after a dramatic 3-3 draw in Mumbai on Sunday.

The Germans had in the first game of Group B defeated the Nigerians 2-1 but couldn’t replicate such feat when they met again in the 3rd place game.

The Europeans, who lost by a 90th minute goal to Cup holders Spain in Wednesday’s second semi-final, started the brighter side and had the ball in the net through Marie Steiner in the 5th minute off a cross from Laura Gloning. But the Video Assistant Referee ruled if offside.

Nigeria took the lead in the 21st minute through power forward Opeyemi Ajakaye, after she got the better of Eve Boettcher from a flowing move.

The Flamingos continued the second half from where they left off in the first period and were more fortunate this time, as Aminat Omowunmi Bello headed powerfully into the net from defender Miracle Usani’s corner kick in the 48th minute.

It was soon 3-0, as Edidiong Etim, only four minutes on the pitch in place of Okenwa, converted to put daylight between both teams.

Or so it seemed. Germany, staring at annihilation, fought back gamely and reduced the scoreline in the 73rd minute when Veit Jella pulled one back. Paulina Platiner made it 3-2 with five minutes to go and on the dot of 90 minutes, Loreen Bender tied the scoreline to compel a third penalty shootout for the Flamingos in the knockout phase of the tournament.

November 1, 2022
FIFA U-17 World Cup: Flamingos’ road to bronze in India

The Flamingos went through the qualifying series in Africa before making it to India alongside Africa’s other representative Tanzania

Coach Bankole Olowookere’s girls had pounded Democratic Republic of Congo 3-0 in Kinshasa and 5-0 in Benin City, and prevailed over Egypt 4-0 in Abuja and 2-0 in Cairo. In their final qualification fixture, they pipped Ethiopia 1-0 in Addis Ababa and the second leg in Abuja ended scoreless.

After a 10-day final camping programme in the Turkish city of Kocaeli, Olowookere said: “We will be facing a tough task out there in India but I believe that if we play as a team, we can get something out of the World Cup. I have a group of girls who are ambitious and they fear no team. This could stand us in good stead in India.”

After going one goal up against Germany in Goa on the first day of the tournament, the Flamingos capitulated 2-1, but refused to bow their heads. They spanked New Zealand 4-0 with some scintillating displays also in Goa and edged Chile 2-1 in Bhubaneswar to reach the knockout stage.

Against the USA in the quarter-finals in Navi Mumbai, team spirit and team work were important to keep the scoreline 1-1 and take the session to penalties. Substitute goalkeeper Linda Jiwuaku, brought in for the shootout, saved one of the kicks and an American player fluffed her kick to give Nigeria victory.

Back in Goa, another penalty shootout was needed against Colombia in the semi-finals. With the Flamingos ahead and a kick from glory, defender Omamuzo Edafe, who scored the penalty kick during play and the winner in the shootout against USA, saw her kick crash against the upright. Nigeria lost in sudden death when defender Comfort Folorunsho lost her kick.

The third-place match also had to be settled via penalty shootout, after the Flamingos conceded three goals in the last 18 minutes to tie the game 3-3. Victory in the shootout, despite defender Tumininu Adeshina’s miss, earned Nigeria a historic third-place at the finals after being nowhere near the last tournament in Uruguay.

“We give God the glory. It was a roller-coaster but we learnt a lot of lessons and it will help the players as they graduate to other levels of the National Team. We strove hard to get our hands on the trophy but we will take the bronze medals for now and return home to go and prepare hard for the next edition,” Coach Olowookere said.

October 31, 2022
India 2022: Super Eagles’ captain, Ahmed Musa doles out 3million to Flamingos

Super Eagles captain and Sivasspor of Turkey forward, Ahmed Musa has given Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team the Flamingos N3m for coming out tops against Germany in the bronze medal encounter at the just concluded U-17 Women’s World Cup in India.

Nigeria defeated Germany 3-2 via penalties in the third-place match after full-time score ended 3-3 in Mumbai on Sunday.

An elated Musa took to his verified Twitter page to make the announcement.

His tweet reads “Three million waiting for Flamingos in Abuja. Congratulations,” Musa tweeted, while celebrating Flamingos’ historic achievement.

Sunday’s victory for Nigeria made them the second African side to have achieved the feat. Ghana clinched the bronze medal at the 2012 edition of the tournament.

Flamingos scored first and were up 3-0 before the Germans staged a dramatic comeback late on to tie the loser’s final 3-3.

Blessing Sunday, Etim and Player-of-The-Match Ajakaye all scored from the spot for Flamingos but defender Tumininu Adeshina’s miss did not matter as Pauliner Bartz fluffed the crucial kick for Germany.

October 31, 2022
Video: How Flamingos, German U-17 girls danced to Kizz Daniel’s song after the match

The German U-17 girls put the loss to Nigeria behind them as they alongside the Nigerian girls danced so happily to a Nigerian song in the dressing room.

The players exchanged kits while some exchanged contacts and others wore their dancing shoes as shown in the video.

The video showed the Germans and the Nigerian girls vibing and shaking their bum to Kizz Daniel’s new track Cough.

Nigeria’s U17 girls won their first-ever FIFA World Cup bronze medals on Sunday after a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Germany following a dramatic 3-3 draw in Mumbai.

Both teams started the competition playing against each other, with the Germans coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.

The Europeans, who lost by a 90th-minuteth-minute^th minute goal to Cup holders Spain in Wednesday’s second semi-final, started the brighter side and had the ball in the net through Marie Steiner in the 5^th minute off a cross from Laura Cloning. But the Video Assistant Referee ruled it offside.

Nigeria took the lead in the 21^st minute through power forward Opeyemi Ajakaye after she got the better of Eve Boettcher from a flowing move.

Germany, staring at annihilation, fought back gamely and reduced the scoreline in the 73^rd minute when Veit Jella pulled one back. Five minutes later, Ajakaye had an opportunity to make it 4-1 but faltered.

Paulina Plattner made it 3-2 with five minutes to go and on the dot of 90 minutes, Loreen Bender tied the scoreline to compel a third penalty shootout for the Flamingos in the knockout phase of the tournament.

Substitutes Blessing Sunday and Edidiong Etim, and Player-of-the-Match Opeyemi Ajakaye scored from the spot for Nigeria. Defender Tumininu Adeshina missed but it did not matter as Pauline Bartz missed a crucial kick for Germany.

See video below:

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October 31, 2022
India 2022: Our confidence is high ahead bronze medal match with Germany – Olowookere

Flamingos coack Bankole Olowookere has assured Nigeria that his girls will give it their all to defeat Germany and win the bronze medal match on Sunday in India.

The Flamingos lost narrowly 5-6 on penalties to Colombia in the semi-final clash in Goa.

Olowookere have put the loss to Colombia behind them saying the girls’ confidence are high ahead of the third-place match on Sunday.

Olowookere said “It has happened like this, you can’t control it, and they will feel the pain, imagine if we were playing in the final. I will give them time to soak and after a while, we will come in as a parent, as a father, I will talk to them and the rest of my technical crew will play our parental role and calm them down.

“All is not lost, if we can put our heads together, we can still get something in the third-place match.

“The girls have done well, this is the semi-final, a big stage in the tournament, it’s a very tough match. Like I told you, the more you progress, the more difficult it becomes. Colombia are tough opponents; it is just unfortunate that they did not win the match during regulation time.”

He also refused to blame Comfort Folorunsho, who lost the penalty that handed Colombia the win, noting that any player could lose a penalty kick.

“The person who missed her penalty is our specialist in taking a penalty, that is the game of penalties and I can’t say more than that because they are still young and I don’t know when they will listen to this interview. They have given their all, anybody can miss a penalty, even the best players in the world and big players before now have been missing penalties, so they should not to be crucified. It’s just unfortunate, anybody can score and anybody can lose a penalty.”

“The girls have tried their best to take Nigeria far in this tournament and have done well for the country.

Flamingos captain, Alvine Dah-Zossu, on her Twitter handle @Alvine_Dah also regretted the loss, but vowed the team will deliver the bronze medal.

“Wednesday’s defeat was really devastating, we wanted to play in the final, but we didn’t make it.

“We were pained and heartbroken last night, I want to apologize to our fans that believed in us. We have picked ourselves up and will do all we can to win the bronze medal.”

October 28, 2022
India 2022: Flamingos to play Germany again in third place match

The Nigeria u17 women’s national team booked a date with Germany their opening game opponent in the third place encounter at the ongoing FIFA U-17 tournament in India.

The Flamingos fell to Colombia on Wednesday afternoon but will meet their old nemesis again in the third-place match

Both Nigeria and Germany missed out on a place in the final after losing their semifinal matchups on Wednesday afternoon.

Recall that the Flamingos were edged out by Colombia 6-5 on penalties after both teams had played out a 0-0 draw in normal time. Germany, on the other hand, was defeated 1-0 by defending World Cup champions Spain also on Wednesday.

Germany and Nigeria met earlier in the tournament in the opening match of Group B. The Nigerians drew the first blood in that encounter, but the Europeans bounced back to claim a 2-1 victory.

After the opening day loss to Germany,the Nigerian ladies went ahead to defeat New Zealand 4-0 and Chile 2-1 to set up a Quarter-Final clash with United States.

They defeated United State 5-4 on Penalties to progress to the Semi-final of the competition.

However, the Flamingos succumced to the Colombian girls on 6-5 on Penalty shoot out.

October 27, 2022
India 2022: Gallant Flamingos bow out to Colombia 6-5 on Penalties

Nigeria’s under-17 women’s football team the Flamingos were edged out by the Colombian U-17 side at the ongoing FIFA World Cup hosted by India.

The Bankole Olowookere tutored side gave their all but succumbed to the Colombian girls 6-5 on Penalties.

The Flamingos advanced to the semifinals of the competition for the first time with a 4-3 victory on penalties against the United States of America (USA).

In the semifinal against Colombia, the Flamingos dominated possession but weren’t clinical in front of goal and it led to a lot of missed chances.

The first half ended without a goal and after the break, Olowokere introduced striker Opeyemi Ajakaye for the second period.

Ajakaye was unable to stretch the Colombian defense as they defended deep in a block putting pressure on the Flamingos every time they lose the ball.

In the end, there was little ambition for both teams to score and without extra time the game proceeded to a penalty shoot-out.

Coach Olowookere introduced backup goalie Jiwuaku who showed brilliance in the penalty shootout against the United States.

Jiwuaku however saved one penalty but guessed wrong in the others.

Edafe Missed the fifth penalty that could have given Nigeria the Final ticket.

Comfort Folorunsho who missed a penalty against the USA saw her spot-kick saved in sudden death.

The Colombian teenagers will play the winner of Spain versus Germany in the final on Saturday.

Flamingos have a date with either Spain or Germany in the third-place fixture to stand a chance to win a bronze medal.

October 26, 2022
No team can beat us – Flamingos defender, Miracle Usani boasts

Flamingos of Nigeria defender Miracle Usani, has boasted that no team can defeat Nigeria at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India.

Usani has assured Flamingos fans that the team can overcome any side at the tournament after their penalty shoot-out victory over the United States on Friday.

Nigeria beat tournament favourites USA 4-3 on penalties after full-time ended 1-1 with Usani converting one of the Flamingos’ spot kicks, but not without some drama.

Usani fell on the pitch in tears after she saw her penalty saved by Valentina Amaral, but she got a second chance after VAR adjudged Amaral to have stepped off her line before making the save, which meant Usani had to a second chance to retake the penalty.

Much to her relief and that of millions of Nigerians back home, Usani converted from the spot as Nigeria advanced to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since inception in 2008.

The Nigeria team will face South American side Colombia on Wednesday by 12pm in Goa.

October 25, 2022
India 2022: Gusau to lead support for Flamingos against Colombia on Wednesday

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau will be at the forefront of the support group when the country’s U17 girls, Flamingos tackle Colombia in the semi-finals of this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Goa on Wednesday.

The NFF boss, who has spoken with the players and officials severally during their earlier games in the tournament, will physically witness the semi-final showdown at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa. It is the first semi-final, starting at 4pm (12noon Nigeria time) with the second semi-final between Germany and Spain to kick off three-and-half hours later.

Victory over Colombia – who defeated the only other African team to make the knockout stage, Tanzania 3-0 in the last eight – will shoot the Flamingos into Sunday’s final.

The Flamingos’ odyssey in India has had an uncanny resemblance to that of the Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets in Germany 12 years ago, at least from the quarter-final stage.

In 2010, in what was the first international tournament for any Nigeria team under the presidency of Alhaji Aminu Maigari, the Falconets had beaten the United States 4-2 in a penalty shootout in a FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup quarter-final after both teams tied 1-1 in regulation time in Augsburg.

Four days later, a 2^nd minute goal by Ebere Orji at the Bielefelder Alm in the city of Bielefeld condemned Colombia to defeat in the semi final, and the Falconets squared up to Germany in the final.

The Flamingos are the first Nigeria team to be involved in a tournament during the presidency of Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau. They have beaten the United States in a penalty shootout after 1-1 draw in a World Cup quarter-final, and now await Colombia in the semi-finals.

It is also remarkable that Germany, Nigeria’s opponents in the final in Germany 12 years ago, are also in the semi-finals in India. They play Spain in the second semi-final on Wednesday.

October 24, 2022
India 2022: Flamingos break Quarter-final jinx, beat United States

Nigeria’s Flamingos have finally broken the quarter-final jinx at the FIFA U-17 Female WorldCup after beating the United States 4-3 penalties in Mumbai.

It was a very tough encounter for coach Bankole Olowookere and his wards, as the American girls gave the Flamingos a serious challenge in this match.

Nigeria opened scoring in the first half of the encounter with Omamuzo Edafe, scoring from the penalty spot, the American teenagers equalized few minutes through Amalia Villarreal after to level things up at 1-1.

Both sides failed to add to the tally as it ended 1-1 in full time.

However there is no extra time at the U-17 level as the match went straight into penalty shoot-out.

The Americans missed their first penalty but scored three more in the shoot out, the Nigerian ladies scored four in the shoot -out to edge out from the tournament.

Nigeria await the winner of the encounter between Colombia and Tanzania in the tournament.

October 21, 2022