Flamingos won’t underrate Guinea – Busari

Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, are on the verge of securing a place in the final round of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers as they prepare to host Guinea in Sunday’s second-leg encounter at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo.

The Nigerian side holds a commanding advantage heading into the fixture after thrashing Guinea 5-0 in the first leg played in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The emphatic victory showcased the Flamingos’ attacking quality, confidence and tactical discipline, placing them firmly in control of the tie.

Despite the comfortable lead, preparations have remained intense in camp as the coaching crew continues to demand focus and discipline from the players ahead of the decisive encounter.

Head Coach Akeem Busari admitted that preventing complacency after such a commanding first-leg performance has become one of the major challenges for the technical crew.

According to Busari, the team must remain mentally prepared and continue working hard to avoid taking the Guineans lightly.

“It happens in football because at the time when you are above a team in terms of goal-scoring and equally in performance, complacency will really set in as a human,” Busari said.

“I see Guinea as a team that can still want to fight back. On our side, we still need to give more because we are playing at home. Our fans want to see the beauty of the game, we want to showcase what we have.

The coach likened the team’s preparation to examination practice, insisting that continuous hard work and repetition remain key to achieving success.

Sunday’s clash offers the Flamingos another opportunity to reinforce their growing reputation as one of Africa’s emerging forces in women’s football as they edge closer to qualification for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. Under Busari’s leadership, the team will be hoping to deliver another dominant performance before their home fans in Ikenne-Remo.