REVEALED: Why Flamingos crashed out of 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No.1 Women Football Journalist, Abuja

Barely one month after Nigeria’s intermediate women’s football team, Falconets crashed out of FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in the Round of 16 after losing 2-1 to Japan   in Bogota, Colombia, the junior side Flamingos also ended their impressive run in the 2024 edition in Dominican Republic on a sad note after losing 2-0 to United States of America team in the quarter-final stage on Saturday at Santiago de los Caballeros stadium in Dominican Republic despite Nigeria’s 100% victories in the group stage.

Like Super Eagles in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon and also Falconets in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final in Costa Rica, Flamingos flattered to deceive as the team which scored nine goals and conceded only one goal was bundled out in the quarter final stage in Dominican Republic despite winning all three group matches at a stretch.

Infact, Nigeria was like the proverbial antelope which danced itself lame during a rehearsal session before the real dance started but faltered big time after the spectators have converged at the arena to enjoy the dancers’ steps.

To reach the quarter-final stage in Dominican Republic, the Flamingos  showed a strong form in the tournament as they began their campaign with a dominant 4-1 victory over hapless New Zealand women’s team in the first Group A match on October 16, 2024 at Cibao Stadium.

Goals scored by Shakirat Moshood 2′, Taiwo Adegoke 13′, Faridat Abdulwahab 28′ and Taiwo Afolabi 55′ ensured victory for Nigeria over New Zealand despite the consolation goal by Hirah Saxon  in the 60′.

In the second match on October 19, Nigeria humiliated Ecuador 4-0 at Cibao Stadium with Shakirat Moshood scoring a brace, including a penalty goal in 28′. She scored her second on the night in the 90+6′ but that was after emerging talent Harmony Chidi 54′ and Peace Effiong 66′ have put Flamingos three goals up.

Nigeria made it three wins in three matches after a 1-0 defeat of host country Dominican Republic in the last Group A match at Estadio Félix Sánchez with the 89′ late goal scored by Shakirat Moshood. It was a one-sided game in which Nigeria had 13 shots on target to only one by the host nation and having 73% balln possession to 27% by Dominican Republic.

Against the backdrop of the group stage impressive runs of the Flamingos, Nigerians and football fans around the world expected the Falconets’ fiery tales story to continue in the quarter final stage when they faced Team USA on  Saturday, October 26, as the odds favoured the Africans who had eliminated the USA at the same stage two years ago in India.

However, expectations that Nigeria will record another win against USA this time around soon  evaporated like the early morning dews at the end of 90′ of the epic quarter-final match at Cibao Stadium last Saturday as Nigeria was beaten 2-0 by USA.

WHY NIGERIA LOST THE QUARTER-FINAL MATCH TO USA

Perhaps, the greatest undoing of the Nigerian team was the inability of the Flamingos coaching crew led by Bankole Olowookere to have a depth knowledge of the makeup of Team USA, in terms of the strength and weaknesses of players, coaching staff, and also  team tactics and formations prior to the quarter-final encounter at Santiago de los Caballeros stadium which played host to the clash between Nigeria and the USA where goals by Kennedy Fuller and Kimmi Ascanio ended what has been an exceptional run for the Nigerians at the global showpiece currently underway in the Dominican Republic.

Also, it was clear that Olowookere who doubles as the technical adviser of Abuja-based Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) club, Naija Ratels FC, did not figure out how to deal with the dangerous players in the USA squad especially the two goalscorers against Nigeria in the quarter-final match.

In fact, the Nigerian coach did not have any plan to stop the dangerous duo of midfielders Ascanio (16years) who had scored five goals in 13 games and Fuller (17years) who scored 12 goals in 12 games, an average of a goal per match for USA before they played Nigeria. The Angel City FC star and her teammate Ascanio who plays for San Diego Wave FC were not paid any attention by Nigeria’s coach the country paid dearly for the negligence.

Aside Ascanio and Fuller, the Nigerian bench did not also pay attention to Melanie Barcenas of San Diego Wave FC (16yrs) who scored five goals in 18 games and USA attackers like Mary Long (16yrs) of Duke University with three goals in six games; Maddie Padelski (16yrs) of Alabama State University who scored two goals in eight matches and Michigan Hawks’ Micayla Johnson(16yrs) with two goals in six games.

Facts have also emerged that Team USA (U-17) head coach, Katie Schoepfer who replaced the Spain-born Natalia Astrain who was incharge in 2022 edition in India when the Yanks lost to Nigeria 4-3 in a penalty shootout after playing out 1-1at full-time in the quarter-final match, had studied the Nigerian team’s tactical foundation with her Team Tactical Analyst (Match Reader) to avoid another loss to Nigeria two years later.

Coach Schoepfer who on November 18, 2021, was appointed by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) as head coach of the United States girls’ national U-15 soccer team and two years later transitioned into the head coach role for the USA women’s national U-17 soccer team in May 2023, has raised a team that can challenge for the top prize this time around and it showed in the way USA dispatched the high-scoring Flamingos when both met in the quarter-final stage.

Armed with enough information on the technical and tactical qualities and weaknesses of the Nigerian team, coach Schoepfer and her technical crew which includes fitness trainer, psychologist, tactical coach, set-piece coach, goalkeeping coach and team tactical analyst or match reader, among others, plotted the downfall of Olowookere and his high-flying Flamingos in the quarter-final match at the weekend.

With superior tactics and full knowledge of how Nigeria will play, the Americans brought out their A-game and clipped the wings of Flamingos, a team without full compliments of technical staff who would have devised a winning tactics to outwit the Yanks on the day.

It is no longer news that Nigerian age-grade teams and even the so-called professional football clubs (men and women) playing continental or global competitions do not have full compliments of technical staff like national teams and clubs in other climes especially in Europe, Asia, South and North American countries.

Also, teams from North African countries of Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia,  Algeria and Mauritania as well as the national teams of Republic of South Africa (RSA) and football clubs from the country are known to have full compliments of technical staff in their teams.

In contrast, no Nigerian football team playing  in any international age-group competition organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA can boast of employing full compliments of technical staff in its team.

Nigerian teams do not have more than three coaches namely head coach, assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer in their technical crew with two exceptional teams being the two senior national teams-Super Eagles and Super Falcons. Both have the luxury of having fitness trainers and team tactical analysts during major competitions like FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) only.

Sadly, the CHAN Eagles; Olympic Eagles (U-23 boys); Flying Eagles (U-20 boys); Golden Eaglets (U-17 boys), Falconets (U-20 girls) and Sand Eagles have not been so lucky to have full compliments of technical staff hence the spate of failures being recorded in the recent time at major international tournaments by Nigerian teams.

Worse still, at club level no Nigerian football club can boast of employing full compliments of technical staff including nutritionists, team tactical analysts or match readers, fitness trainers, set-piece coaches, defensive coaches, psychologists and other support staff, who will compliment the work of the head coach.

With these glaring coaching deficiencies of the age-group teams, no thanks to the short-sightedness of the country’s football administrators who have failed to do the needful, it is a miracle that some of the youth teams especially the Golden Eaglets have won laurels at the world stage.

HOW NIGERIAN TEAMS CAN MAKE PODIUM FINISH IN FUTURE COMPETITIONS

It is clear to the blind and loud to the deaf that Africa in general and Nigeria in particular boast of large army of talented football players who can compete favourably well with their counterparts from other continents or even perform better than them in international competitions if they are provided with the tools, conducive environment and opportunities given to thier peers elsewhere to excel.

Until the African football administrators cultivate the culture of paying attention to details and adopt the best practices in football administration and management as it concerns football development, promotion and welfare of the team, it will be very difficult for an African country to win the ultimate FIFA World Cup (men and women); FIFA U-20 World Cup (women) and FIFA U-17 World Cup (women), although with the  exception of Golden Eaglets, 5-time winner of FIFA U-17 World Cup.

LESSONS FROM FLAMINGOS EARLY EXIT FROM THE WORLD CUP

Following the early exit of Nigeria from the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Dominican Republic after the 2-0 loss to USA in the quarter-final stage last weekend, a generation of potential stars in the Flamingos Class of 2024 now have their career on the line as not many will remember some of the players again because they did not go far in the competition as four matches may not be enough for the world to identify a future star of women’s football.

It is unfortunate that after a gutsy performance throughout their campaign, Nigeria bowed out of the competition after succumbing to a 2-0 loss, no thanks to two goals scored by Fuller and Ascanio which ended what has been an exceptional run for the Nigerians at the global showpiece currently going on in Dominican Republic.

By this painful loss by a team that recorded 100% win from the three group matches, scoring nine goals and conceeding only one, the world did not get the opportunity to see much of rising stars like Shakirat Moshood who scored four goals in four matches including a brace in the match against Ecuador and impressive team captain Taiwo Afolabi who led by example throughout Nigeria’s campaign, scored a goal against New Zealand and covered 11.03km and 50 passes versus Ecuador.

Also, the world could not see the best of Africa’s pre-World Cup highest goalscorer, Harmony Chidi who scored a whopping 12 goals in the qualifiers and a goal in Nigeria’s 4-0 thrashing of Ecuador in the group stage. She had 11 attempts at goal and 4 crosses versus Ecuador just as the talents of two other goalscorers, defender Faridat Abdulwahab and midfielder Khadijat Adegoke were not properly noticed in Dominican Republic.

This is even as the early exit may affect the progress of agile goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma who made several daring saves in the four matches Nigeria played; beclouded efforts of defender Onyedikachi Ekezie who completed 76 passes and 51 attempted line breaks in one match and the brilliance of forward Peace Effiong who scored against Ecuador and  also had 35 receptions between midfield and defensive lines versus New Zealand.

In all, the quarter-final loss to USA by the high-scoring side like Nigeria diminished the performance of the team and put a dent on the talents of other players such as defenders Hannah Ibrahim and Jumai Adebayo and attackers Aishat Animashaun and Blessing Ifitezue who did not get much playing opportunities until Nigeria crashed out.

THE WAY FORWARD FOR NIGERIA

It is now incumbent on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to design a programme whereby the entire team will form the foundation of Nigeria’s next U-20 women’s football team Falconets instead of allowing them to scatter and the next U-20 team will be built from the scratch as has been the case most of the time.

This means that the NFF should no longer wait for the appointment of a substantive head coach of the Falconets after the disastrous outing of the team in August at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia where the team led by Christopher Danjuma Musa, technical adviser of Nasarawa Amazons FC also crashed out at quarter-final stage.

He has led the Falconets to three FIFAU-20 Women’s World Cup outing in France, Costa Rica and Colombia respectively but his team never made it to semi-finals or final. For this singular reason, the U-20 women’s team needs a fresh start than what has been.

Finally, the time to start real preparations for the next FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco in 2025 is now and the NFF is condemned to announce the substantive head coach of Flamingos without further delay even as it will not be a bad idea to retain head coach Bankole Olowookere.

But, most importantly his coaching crew must be tweaked with the return of the technical staff who worked with him when Nigeria won FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze medal in India two years ago. It has to be said that there are coaches who bring good omen and add something extraordinary to teams they are working with to excel at global level.

With the 2025 edition taking place in African continent (Morocco), it will be a good place for an African country especially Nigeria to lift the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy for the first time since the competition started in 2008 in New Zealand.

Flamingos shall rise again, perhaps, in Morocco.

NIGERIA’S GOALSCORERS AT A GLANCE:

*NGR  4 vs 1 NZL*

55′

Taiwo AFOLABI

28′

Faridat ABDULWAHAB

13′

Khadijat ADEGOKE

2′

Shakirat MOSHOOD

*NGR 4 vs 0 ECU*

Shakirat MOSHOOD

90’+6′

Peace EFFIONG

66′

Harmony CHIDI

54′

Shakirat MOSHOOD

28′

*NGR 1 vs 0 DOM*

Shakirat MOSHOOD

89′

Total: Goals Scored= 8

Goals Conceded= 3.