Players, coaches and officials of Nigeria’s cadet female national team, Flamingos have safely landed in Conakry, Guinea, where they will on Saturday line out against their hosts nation in the first leg of their second round qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Megasportsarena.com gathered that the squad of 18 teenage female players was led out of Lagos late Thursday by the acting coach, Bankole Olowookere, who preferred to have last ditch sessions on the training pitch to finalise plans for Saturday’s game.
Olowookere began his last phase of planning for the game by naming his squad list at the start of this week, when it was announced that they will make the trip on Thursday, with the coach stating early that they have to go all out for a good result from the encounter, in order to get a solid cushion ahead of the return leg at Agege Stadium, Lagos on Saturday, 14th March.
The team, which has two goalkeepers, five defenders, six midfielders and five forwards on the roster, will fly to Conakry on Thursday for the first leg encounter, which was earlier postponed by a week as a result of the Guinean legislative election that held last weekend.
The full list of Flamingos’ players for Saturday’s game has Nelly Ekeh (Ibom Angels); Chinyere Kalu (Rivers Angels); Chidinma Ogbuchi (FC Robo); Oluwabunmi Oladeji (Dream Stars); Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels); Miracle Ohaeri (Ibom Angels); and Blessing Sunday (Osun Babes).
Others are Taiwo Lawal (Aseyori Queens); Olusola Sobowale (FC Robo); Oluwayemisi Samuel (Osun Babes); Adoo Yina (Confluence Queens); Rofiat Imuran (Sunshine Queens); Amarachi Odoma (Nasarawa Amazons); and Anuoluwapo Salisu (Dream Stars).
Also listed are Hannah Yusuf (Nasarawa Amazons); Olamide Bolaji (Osun Babes); Alvine Dahz (Bayelsa Queens); and Sukura Bakare (Dream Stars); who are all determined to make the best of marks and ensure they keep alive Nigeria’s historic records at this level of the women’s game.
Ahead of Saturday’s game in Conakry, the stand-in coach called on the country’s soccer loving fans to support his squad with prayers, as he admitted that the rescheduled game will not come easy, even as a post appeared on social media to herald his side’s arrival in Conakry.
The post via @NGSuper_Falcons read: “Our U17 sisters, Flamingos safely arrived and fully settled in Conakry ahead of Saturday’s first leg, first round of the U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Guinea. #U17WWCQ #SoarFlamingos #GUINGA.”
