Namibia have vowed to overturn their 4-0 defeat at the hands of Nigeria in their Jordan 2016 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup first round first leg qualifier in Abuja on Saturday.
A brace from Rasheedat Ajibade and a goal each from Cynthia Aku and Peace Efih put the Flamingos firmly in the driver’s seat ahead of the January 22 return leg at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek.
The winners of the two-legged fixture will face South Africa or Zambia in the final round. The 16-nation World Cup takes place between September 30 and October 21.
Namibia coach Mervin Mbakera, who rued the Baby Gladiators’ first-half performance at the Abuja Stadium, warned the Flamingoes it’s not over yet.
The mathematics teacher insists his team can only blame themselves for their heavy defeat to the Costa Rica 2014 FIFA Under-17 World Cup quarterfinalists, have learned from their mistakes.
Mbakera says his charges will fire on all cylinders to overturn the four-goal first-leg deficit and claim the result that will take them to the next round.
“I will praise my team because they fought well, even though their efforts could not yield them a good result. But we will not lose the second leg,” the 28-year-old was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria as saying after the Abuja encounter.
“We have seen our mistakes, and we will go back home to correct them and prevent the Flamingoes from beating us in the second leg. The Nigerian team is not super.
“The goals we conceded were due to minor mistake caused by my players.”
Nigeria coach Bala Nikyu says the Flamingoes will look to wrap up their final round qualification in Windhoek.
He said, “We have been working hard to have this kind of result. We have a long way to go, and we will fight harder to will all our games. We will surely take part in the World Cup by God’s grace.”
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