News
Coach Kuforiji Olusola Warns Flamingos Against Defensive Lapses Ahead of Benin Return Leg
Head Coach of Samba Tornadoes Football Club, Coach Kuforiji Olusola, has expressed concerns over the defensive performance of Nigeria’s Flamingos despite their 3-2 victory over the Benin Republic in the first leg of the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
READ ALSO: Flamingos Coach Akeem Busari Warns Nigeria Against Complacency After 5-0 Win Over Guinea
Speaking with Sports247 after the thrilling encounter at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, the experienced tactician described the result as a risky one, urging Coach Akeem Busari to address the team’s defensive weaknesses before the decisive second leg.
“It’s quite a big risk for the Flamingos with the first-leg result,” Kuforiji said. “Coach Akeem Busari needs to work more on the defensive line ahead of the second leg because conceding two goals at home could become costly.”
Nigeria had to come from behind to secure a narrow advantage after Benin’s Young Amazons took an early lead through Yenido Romaine Gandonou in the 14th minute.
The Flamingos responded positively, with Queen Joseph restoring parity in the 24th minute before Oluwakemi Adegbuyi put the hosts ahead in the 62nd minute.
However, Benin once again showed resilience as Nazifatou Dangui levelled matters ten minutes later, raising concerns over Nigeria’s defensive organisation.
Kindness Ifeanyi eventually scored the winning goal in the 75th minute to hand the Flamingos a slim 3-2 victory and a narrow advantage heading into the return fixture.
Despite praising the team’s fighting spirit and attacking quality, Kuforiji believes the two goals conceded have left the tie finely balanced.
“The Flamingos showed character to keep coming back and find the winning goal, but they must be more disciplined defensively. At this level, small mistakes can make a huge difference.”
Nigeria will now travel to Lomé, Togo, for the second leg scheduled for July 11 at the Stade de Kégué, Benin Republic’s adopted home ground.
The winner on aggregate will secure one of Africa’s coveted tickets to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, set to take place from October 17 to November 7.
With qualification now within touching distance, all eyes will be on Coach Busari and his young side to see whether they can tighten up defensively and finish the job away from home.
Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala was on target as Al Hilal produced an impressive 4-0 away victory over NEOM, with fellow Nigerian international Christy Ucheibe also featuring in the convincing performance.
Sports247 reports that Oshoala continued her contribution to Al Hilal’s attacking campaign by finding the back of the net in the 65th minute, helping the visitors strengthen their advantage in a dominant display.
Read Also: Arokodare Shines With Brace and Assist as Ajax Thrash Midtjylland 6-1 in Conference League
The Nigerian forward’s goal came during an impressive second-half performance from Al Hilal, who added three goals after the interval to complete a comprehensive victory.
Moroccan forward Ibtissam Jraidi opened the scoring in the 11th minute, giving Al Hilal an early advantage before the teams went into the break.
Oshoala doubled the visitors’ lead in the 65th minute before Manar Al-Anzi made it 3-0 just four minutes later.
Jraidi then completed her brace in the 88th minute, sealing the emphatic 4-0 result for Al Hilal.
Christy Ucheibe, Oshoala’s Super Falcons teammate, also played a part in the victory as the Nigerian duo continued to make their contributions to the Saudi Arabian club.
The result represents another important outing for Al Hilal, with the team’s attacking quality evident in the performance against NEOM.
For Oshoala, the goal provides another opportunity to demonstrate her goalscoring ability and importance at club level. The six-time African Women’s Player of the Year remains one of Nigeria’s most recognisable football exports, and her performances continue to attract attention.
The presence of both Oshoala and Ucheibe in Al Hilal’s squad also highlights the growing influence of Nigerian players in women’s football outside the country.
With the emphatic away victory secured, Al Hilal will look to build on the performance in their subsequent fixtures.
-
News4 days agoPlateau APC 2027 Campaign Council inaugurated today in Jos
-
News3 days ago
Plateau Ndigbo Crown Chief Johnson Nwosu as New Igwe
-
News2 days ago
Anthropic is working on a system to prove AI models’ identity
-
News3 days ago
CrowdStrike to shell out nearly $500M for 2 AI security startups as the market for securing agents takes off
