By Harry Awurumibe,Editor, Abuja Bureau
All is set for the second leg of the final round of the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup African qualifiers match between Nigeria’s Flamingos and their counterparts from Liberia billed for Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja tomorrow.
This is even as Liberia contingent arrived Abuja on Wednesday aboard Asky Airways and will have a feel of the match venue Thursday evening to shake off jet lag ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Flamingos.
After a 4-1 win away from home in the first leg, the Nigerian girls are keen to conclude their World Cup qualification race on a high beating their opponents again on home turf on Friday evening.
Goals by the irrepressible Harmony Chidi, Peace Effiong, Shakirat Moshood and substitute Blessing Ifitezue earned Nigeria a handsome first-leg win in Monrovia on Sunday, and only 90 minutes separate the 2022 bronze medallists from another appearance at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, this time in the Dominican Republic.
Nigeria forward Harmony Chidi has been the stellar talent of this qualifying campaign globally, scoring 11 goals in five matches, and with the possibility of adding to it at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Friday.
The attacking potency of the Nigerian girls has been extraordinary, with a 12-0 aggregate win (6-0 in each leg) against Central African Republic in the second round, a 7-1 aggregate against Burkina Faso (1-1 and 6-0) in the third round, and a 4-1 routing of their hosts in Monrovia in the final round, first leg encounter.
Nigeria have missed only one edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals to date – the 2018 edition in Uruguay for which Cameroon’s Baby Lionesses edged the Flamingos on the away-goal rule in the final round.
Friday’s encounter, which is scheduled to commence at 4 pm, will have Egyptian official Shahenda El-Maghrabi as a referee, with her compatriots May Ali Hassan, Gamalat Ahmed Shebl and Noura Samir El-Sayed as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively. READ ALSO:
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Christine Ziga from Ghana will be the commissioner while Tesfanesh Woreta Hailu from Ethiopia will serve as referee assessor.
This year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals will be staged in the cities of Santiago de los Caballeros and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, from 16th October – 3rd November.
