Nigeria’s Flamingos hold a 5-0 advantage from the first leg in Abidjan, but coach Akeem Busari is refusing to let his players treat Saturday’s return fixture at the Remo Stars Stadium as a formality.
Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has urged his players to approach Saturday’s return leg against Guinea with the same intensity that produced their stunning 5-0 away victory last weekend. Speaking ahead of the second leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State, Busari acknowledged that the tie is effectively over on paper but made clear that his technical crew will not be allowing any degree of relaxation. “It is a two-legged affair and we are only done with the first leg,” he told reporters. “So, we won’t be complacent in the return leg because the team is still rebuilding and we want to win well before our fans.” Nigerian football fans looking forward to the Flamingos’ return leg can check the Bet9ja sign-up offer ahead of Saturday’s fixture in Ikenne.
The first leg, played at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan on Saturday, May 23, saw captain Harmony Chidi announce herself on the continental stage with a first-half hat-trick. Chidi scored inside the first minute, doubled the lead with a long range effort in the 12th minute, and completed her treble in the 39th minute. FC Robo Queens striker Oluwakemi Adegbuyi added a third goal in the 37th minute, and Mary Dunstan completed the scoring in the second half to seal a 5-0 win that was comprehensive in every department.
Guinea’s Threat Still Real, Busari Says
Busari was careful not to treat Guinea’s challenge as negligible despite the margin. He revealed that his technical crew had studied the Guinean side closely before the first leg, particularly after Guinea’s 8-2 aggregate demolition of Niger Republic in the previous round. “Looking at the magnitude of the game and the fact that Guineans are a high scoring side, we examined their strong points and weaknesses,” Busari said. “We noticed that their left-back was one of their strongest points and we exploited that area.” The point is that a side capable of scoring eight goals across two legs is not one to dismiss, even at 5-0 down.
Guinea were forced to play the first leg on neutral territory in Abidjan because they were unable to provide a qualifying stadium on home soil. That context matters because the second leg reverses the dynamic entirely. Nigeria now host at a venue with familiar surroundings and strong crowd backing, while Guinea face the task of scoring six goals to overturn the tie. The aggregate winners advance to the final qualifying round, from which Africa’s four representatives for the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco will emerge. Supporters planning to follow the Flamingos’ World Cup journey can use the latest Bet9ja welcome code to get the best odds as the qualifying campaign moves forward.
A New Chapter Under Busari
Saturday’s first leg win was described as a memorable start to Busari’s reign as Flamingos head coach. The former coach of DUFA Football Academy and Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan took charge of the U17 girls’ setup recently and this qualifier represents his first competitive assignment with the side. The immediate impact has been substantial. A 5-0 away win in a qualifying tie of this nature, with a captain delivering a hat-trick inside 40 minutes, is the kind of opening statement that sets an early tone for a coaching tenure.
The return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium on May 30 will give Nigerian fans their first opportunity to see this Flamingos squad in action on home soil. The stadium in Ikenne, which has hosted several national team fixtures in recent years, is expected to fill quickly given the local interest. For a team Busari describes as still rebuilding, the chance to perform in front of a home crowd with qualification already within reach is exactly the kind of environment that accelerates development. Fans heading to Ikenne can secure the best available odds through the Bet9ja registration page before matchday.
📌 Did You Know?
- Harmony Chidi, the Flamingos captain who scored a hat trick in the first leg, netted her opening goal inside the first 60 seconds of the match in Abidjan. It is believed to be one of the fastest international goals scored by a Nigerian youth player in recent qualifying history.
- Guinea were forced to play the first leg as the away team on neutral territory in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, because they could not provide a suitable stadium in their own country for the qualifying fixture. FIFA rules require compliant facilities for international matches, and Guinea’s inability to comply handed the tie to a neutral venue.
- Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, who scored Nigeria’s third goal in the first leg, plays her club football for FC Robo Queens in Lagos. Robo Queens were also involved in the Women’s President Federation Cup Round of 32 earlier this week, where they beat Rangers Women 3-2, making Adegbuyi one of the busiest young players in Nigerian women’s football right now.
- Akeem Busari, the newly appointed Flamingos head coach, previously worked at DUFA Football Academy in Lagos and Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan before taking charge of the Nigeria U17 women’s side. His club career has been rooted primarily in the southwestern football ecosystem, making his appointment a significant step into the national team setup.
- Guinea defeated Niger Republic 8-2 on aggregate in the previous round of the same qualifier, which is why Busari’s technical crew had identified them as a high-scoring threat. That result meant Guinea arrived in Abidjan having scored at will, which made Nigeria’s clean sheet all the more impressive.
- The 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to be held in Morocco. Africa will be represented by four teams from the qualifying process, meaning the Flamingos need to advance through at least one more qualifying round after this tie before their place at the tournament is confirmed.
- Nigeria’s Flamingos have participated in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup on multiple occasions since the competition began in 2008. Their best finish came in 2010 when they reached the quarterfinals. Nigeria have also won the Africa U17 Women’s Championship, known as the WAFU/CAF qualifying pathway, on several occasions.
