Nigeria captain Rasheedat Ajibade has told her Flamingoes teammates to give their all in their last Jordan 2016 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup Group C clash against Korea DPR in Amman on Saturday.
Nigeria are rooted to the bottom of the table on one point – after they failed to score against Brazil and England.
The Flamingoes lost 1-0 to Brazil and battled to a goalless draw against England. Korea DPR top the group on six points, followed by Brazil on three points. England are third on two points.
Although Nigeria have an outside chance of making it to the quarterfinals, Lagos club Robo striker Ajibade, who represented the country at the Costa Rica 2014 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, has not given up hope. The Flamingoes were bundled out in the quarterfinals of Costa Rica 2014 by Spain, who beat them 3-0.She said the team must aim for victory against the Koreans on Saturday.
“In the next game (against Korea DPR), we need to work on finishing our chances,” Ajibade was quoted by FIFA.com as saying on Thursday.
“We’ve not managed to score in two games. Obviously that has to change.”
She added, “The important thing is that we recognise we need a win. And if we do exactly what the coach tells us, then I’m convinced we’ll get a positive result.”
Ajibade blamed the team’s striking problems in the tournament on a lack of experience, saying they must do a better job this time round.
The 16-year-old said, “Our players don’t have that much experience, so it can happen that they doubt themselves.
“So, with my experience, I try to be by their side and give them encouragement. I always say to them: ‘You can do this! So come on, let’s get out there and win!’”
Ajibade added, “I came to the tournament with the aim of getting a better result this time round, and I think my experience from two years ago will help me. I really believe in our strengths as a team and I know we can achieve that.”
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