‘It’s Quite Painful’: Flamingos Coach Reflects on Nigeria’s World Cup Exit After 4-0 Loss to Italy

Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team coach, Bankole Olowookere, has expressed deep disappointment following the Flamingos’ elimination from the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. The team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Italy in the Round of 16, ending their campaign earlier than hoped.

‘Honestly, it’s quite painful,’ Olowookere said after the match.

‘We came into the game with the mindset of doing something special, making sure that we win and we progress to the next stage. Unfortunately, we held the game for 44 minutes before the painful goal came in, and it was all squandered in the second half.’

Despite the result, the coach remained optimistic about the long term impact of the tournament on his players.

‘The girls gained a lot of experience. Going to the World Cup, meeting other nations and players, those experiences go a long way to help their careers and make them superstars in the future.’

The match itself began with promise for Nigeria. Captain Shakirat Moshood came close to opening the scoring in the 24th minute, forcing a fine save from Italian goalkeeper Matilde Robbioni.

But just before halftime, Italy struck through Anna Copelli, who danced past the Nigerian defense and slotted home a composed finish.

Ten minutes into the second half, Nigeria thought they had equalized when Nguemo Terlumun poked the ball into the net after a battling effort from Queen Joseph.

However, the Video Support Review ruled that Joseph had kicked the ball from Robbioni’s hands, disallowing the goal.

Italy responded with ruthless efficiency. Caterina Venturelli doubled the lead with a stunning long-range strike that sailed over goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu.

Giulia Robino added a third with a well-placed free-kick, and Rachele Giudici capped off the night with a late goal confirmed by VAR.