‘Semi-Final Spot A Dream Come True’: Flamingos Coach Akeem Busari

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team head coach Akeem Busari has described his side’s qualification for the semi-final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup as a dream come true.

Busari said this after his Flamingos booked their place in the last four of the tournament in Morocco:

‘We gave everything on the pitch tonight. We wanted to keep the ball and play our game, but we made some mistakes. We kept pushing until the end. Reaching the semi-finals is a dream come true for me and a great achievement. I’m looking forward to it because I want to make my country proud. We want to give our best in the next match and show everyone what we can do.’

His reaction came after Azeezat Oduntan struck an 89th-minute penalty to send Nigeria into the semi-finals for just the second time in tournament history, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Venezuela in the quarter-final on Sunday night.

The Flamingos had the better of the opening half, with Oluebube Umejiaku and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi both firing wide of the woodwork, while Venezuela goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales proved difficult to beat.

With Nigeria failing to capitalise on their possession, the match appeared to be heading for a penalty shootout. They were however awarded a late spot-kick when Venezuela defender Migleydys Bolsegui was adjudged to have committed a foul in her area.

Oduntan stepped up and struck with precision into the corner of the net to seal Nigeria’s place in the final four, where they will face Brazil.