Nigeria coach Akeem Busari has declared that his girls are determined to make history by defeating Japan in Saturday’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final.
The Flamingos have enjoyed an awe-inspiring campaign, becoming the first African nation to reach the final of the competition following an impressive 3-1 semi-final victory.
Nigeria endured a difficult start to their campaign in Morocco, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland, but staged a remarkable comeback with five consecutive victories over Puerto Rico, DPR Korea, Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil to secure a historic place in the final.
Ahead of the showdown with the 2014 world champions, Busari insisted that his players are not satisfied with merely reaching the final and are determined to finish the job.
“We want to be champions. From what we saw against DPR (Korea), I think it’s the core of what we should expect more of from the Japanese,” he told the media per FIFA website.
“But it’s a different ballgame because, for both us and them, the game will not be the same.
“The character, mentality and attitude which you approach every game with, and at every other level too, is what really matters.”
Coach Busari also revealed how psychological intervention and a change in mentality helped transform his team’s fortunes following their opening defeat.
“After the first game, we needed to sit them down, psychologically talk to them, talk about our game plan and all we have been doing in the sessions,” he added.
“We needed to change our attitude and character, but because of their age, we just needed to talk to them, to counsel them, and those are the points that make the difference.”
Thanks to the Flamingos’ heroics in Morocco, coach Busari has earned praise for his tactical approach. Nevertheless, he was quick to shift the credit to his players, describing them as the driving force.
“It would be a plus for Africa, for Nigeria, for my own career as a person, but also for the players as well – they are the gladiators. Without them, we could not do anything,” he continued.
“At this level, (a final) is a huge thing that we’re looking up to, and we want to work hard towards it.
“We want to make our mentality right, we want to put our attitude down to the players as well so they can see the job is not yet done; we’re still on the track race.
“We’ll just have to really fight on until we get there.”
Similarly, captain Harmony Chidi is relishing the prospect of leading the Flamingos to World Cup glory, insisting that lifting the trophy would be an unforgettable milestone in the history of Nigerian and African football.
“I think it would be a great thing, a joy, and would never be forgotten in life,” the striker said.
“Reaching the final is a very big thing, it’s a great thing, and it’s something that we have dreamed of. (Winning) would be something myself, my country, my teammates, our coaches, and everybody would be proud of.”
