Nigeria’s Flamingos Make History Again As Busari Praises Players Fighting Spirit

Head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, Akeem Busari, has praised his players for their determination and commitment following their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Venezuela in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The Nigerian side booked a place in the semi-finals after overcoming a stubborn Venezuelan team in a closely contested encounter played in Rabat on Sunday night.

Azeezat Oduntan proved to be the difference between both teams after converting a late penalty to secure Nigeria’s passage into the last four. The victory also marked the second time the Flamingos have reached the semi-final stage in the history of the competition.

Despite enjoying periods of dominance, Nigeria faced strong resistance from Venezuela, whose players continued to challenge the West Africans throughout the encounter.

The Flamingos created promising scoring opportunities and came close to extending their advantage on two occasions, but their efforts were denied by the woodwork.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Busari expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, commending the players for giving their best despite making some mistakes during the match.

“We gave everything on the pitch tonight. We wanted to keep the ball and play our game, but we made some mistakes,” the coach said.

Nigeria will now turn their attention to Wednesday night’s semi-final clash against Brazil in Rabat, with a place in the final at stake.