Photo Credit - SAFA Media.
The South African U17 women’s national team coach Ntombifuthi Khumalo has explained why they were beaten 3-1 by Nigeria’s Flamingos in the first leg of their FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Qualifier at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.
It was Nigeria, who took the lead 20 minutes into the match through Shakirat Moshood before Harmony Chidi added a second three minutes from the half-time break. South Africa’s response came through captain Katleho Malebana, who calmly converted from the penalty spot in the 47th minute.
However, while South Africa were looking to level matters, Nigeria added the third, when Chidi completed her brace in the 68th minute. Speaking after the game, Bantwana coach Khumalo admitted they were unsettled because of the first half pressure from the Flamingos.
“Once our opponents put pressure on us, that’s where we fail to protect our posts. That’s the challenge we need to fix before we head into the second leg. The girls showed resilience, and we know what we need to work on,” Khumalo said as quoted by SAFA website.
South Africa captain Malebana said: “The game wasn’t that bad, we just needed to take advantage of our opportunities next time around. We believe in ourselves, and we’ll be ready for the second leg.”
Meanwhile, despite the 3-1 advantage, Flamingos coach Olowookere Bankole remained cautious ahead of the return leg: “We had a good result, but we need to improve on a few things for the next game, as I know South Africa is also going to improve.”
With the second leg scheduled for March 15, 2025 at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, Nigeria, Bantwana will be aiming for a big performance to keep their FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup dream alive.
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