Flamingoes launch final attack on She-polopolo

Posted by admin Soccer, Sports Saturday, March 24th, 2012

Photo: Sun News Publishing
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Nigeria’s Under-17 Women team, popularly known as Flamingoes, looks as the most favoured side to book a ticket to the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup holding in Azerbaijan later in the year at the expense of the She-polopolo of Zambia after today’s decisive return leg of the last round of the African qualifiers billed for the main bowl of MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

The Nigerian girls go into today’s game with 2–1 advantage from the first leg encounter in Lusaka a fortnight ago, and only need a barren draw to land in Azerbaijan for the World Cup finals in September.

But Chief Coach, Peter Dedebvor, has declared that his team would approach the game like a cup final despite the fact they won the first leg encounter in faraway Lusaka penultimate weekend.
“Although we won the first leg 2–1 in Lusaka, we are determined not only to beat the Zambians convincingly in Abeokuta, but also to book our World Cup ticket in emphatic fashion,” he said.

The Flamingoes won all their previous matches on the road to Azerbaijan 2012 and would want to maintain a 100 per cent record all through the qualifiers. The Nigerian girls are, therefore, expected to go for the broke against their Zambian counterparts today.
Interestingly, the Zambians were cruising on a roller coaster to the World Cup finals until they were drawn against the rampaging Flamingoes. Zambia recorded the biggest win in the previous round of the African qualifiers with the 7–1 demolition of Botswana. But the Junior She-polopolo will have to do more than the ordinary to overcome the Dedebvor-tutored Nigerian side for the ticket to Azerbaijan.

Flamingoes’ inspirational captain, Victoria Aidelomom, has assured Nigerians that she and her teammates would deliver the World Cup ticket in style by completing the demolition of the Zambian side today.
Other players that are expected to confirm Nigeria’s ticket to Azerbaijan are the duo of Patience Okaeme and Ayinde Halima Ibrahim. Okaeme scored a brace in the first leg of the previous round against Kenya, while Ibrahim also scored a brace in the 3–0 demolition of Kenya in the reverse fixture decided at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The Flamingoes featured in the two previous editions of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand 2008 and Trinidad & Tobago.

-Sunwp_posts