The national cadet team was on the receiving end of a bruising in their last preparatory match before the Mundial
Fenerbahce Ladies defeated Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingoes, 3-1 in their last friendly game before the start of the 2022 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.
The Flamingoes were the better side when they humbled Galatasaray Ladies 3-1 in Kocaeli three days ago in another test match.
But Fenerbahce avenged the defeat of their compatriots on Tuesday, dispatching the coach Bankole Olowookere-tutored teenagers by the same scoreline.
Parading Nigerian star Patricia George in their lineup, Fener led two-nil by the 80th minute courtesy of a Busan Seker brace.
Flamingoes forward Etim Edidiong pulled one back for team Nigeria in stoppage time. But Nina Kpaho snuffed out any hope of a comeback with Fenerbahce’s third of the evening in the 93rd minute.
The Nigeria cadet team will now turn their focus completely on the FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament, which is billed to start on 11th October.
The Flamingoes are bundled together with Germany, Chile, and New Zealand in Group B.
Bankole Olowookere’s girls will face European powerhouse Germany in their opening match at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 11.
Three days later, they face New Zealand at the same venue before taking on Chile in their last group game on October 17.
The Flamingoes have appeared in five of the previous six editions of the World Cup, with the team’s best result being quarterfinal outings in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
