The Flamingos of Nigeria endured a tough start at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, suffering a 4-1 loss to Canada in their opening Group D match on Sunday.
The Flamingos showed early resilience after conceding first, with Queen Joseph pulling them level midway through the first half.
But a series of defensive blunders in the second half allowed the Canadians to take full control, scoring three more goals to seal a convincing win in Salé.
Head coach Bankole Olowookere didn’t hide his frustration after the match, admitting that individual mistakes and poor finishing were to blame for the defeat.
“It was a huge game. Sometimes there are mistakes, and that’s what gives away goals,” he said during his post-match briefing. “We also had our chances, but we didn’t take advantage of them, and we paid dearly for it.”
Olowookere urged his players to treat the loss as a wake-up call rather than a setback, stressing that there’s still a chance to turn things around.
“I think it’s a learning lesson,” he said. “We have to go back, watch what happened, and correct it ahead of the next games.”
The coach made it clear that the team’s focus has now shifted to their next game against France on Wednesday, which will be crucial for their survival in the tournament.
“All that we need now is winning,” he added. “That’s what will keep us in the tournament because we want to remain here. We want to do everything possible, in our training, in our strategy, to win the next game.”
The Flamingos currently sit at the bottom of Group D and must defeat France to keep their qualification hopes alive before facing their final group opponents later in the week.
