The staff arrived on the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja within the early hours of Monday, the place they have been acquired by officers of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and supporters.
Afterthe staff’s arrival, head coach Akeem Busari mentioned modifications to the staff’s defensive strategy and mentality helped the gamers progress by way of the competitors.
Busari defined that the Flamingos intentionally prevented counting on penalty shootouts, drawing confidence from their qualifying marketing campaign, throughout which they gained all their matches inside regulation time.
“Looking at the history from the World Cup and looking at the team when we were playing in the qualifiers, we won all our games on 90 minutes,” he mentioned.
He added that the technical crew adjusted the staff’s defensive strategy and labored on the gamers’ mentality because the event progressed.
“We changed the defences. Approach was changed..mentality was changed and that’s what changed the narrative,” Busari mentioned.
In a separate post-match interview after the ultimate in opposition to Japan, the coach additionally defined how his technical crew recognized the opponents’ power in successful second balls and exploiting areas behind defensive traces.
“So if you allow them to win the second ball, they will play behind your back four,” he mentioned.
Busari mentioned the Flamingos responded by directing the ball into open areas slightly than areas the place Japanese gamers may simply get well possession.
“So really, we noticed that any drop ball from our own half, we don’t drop it in that route, we drop it to space, because one, they are quicker to the ball,” he mentioned.
He additionally attributed the staff’s success to growth and character, expressing hope that extra African sides would progress past the knockout phases in future editions of the competitors.
“What we have seen is not a fluke, it’s about development, it’s about character, it’s about fighting off from the beginning to get it right. So we are elated and we are happy,” he mentioned.
Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi thanked her teammates, teaching employees and supporters, describing the staff’s return with the trophy as a memorable achievement.
“I thank my teammates, the coaching staff, everybody that was praying for us. We are so, so happy that at least we came back with the trophy for the first time,” she mentioned.
Chidi additionally recalled how the staff’s opening defeat motivated the gamers to work more durable and stay united all through the competitors.
“I think it was the game that gave us the morale that the World Cup that we came is not a child’s play. It’s something that we have to work extra hard,” she mentioned.
She added that the gamers inspired each other to work collectively, a choice she mentioned contributed to their eventual success.
The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s ultimate, with Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku scoring the targets that secured Nigeria’s first title within the competitors.
The victory additionally made Nigeria the primary African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Before travelling to Morocco, the staff gained the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire, recording 5 victories from 5 matches, scoring 17 targets and conceding simply as soon as.
Ademide Adebayo
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