15-year old Onuchukwu Chisom was the heroine of the day on Saturday as her strike powered Enugu Female football team to a 1-0 win against Abia State in the female football event of the ongoing 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State.

Chisom’s goal in the 3^rd minute of the encounter played at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, however, was not enough to power the Enugu young ladies into the next stage of the competition.

Enugu was eliminated from the football event after suffering three defeats and winning once in their four group matches. One of their losses was a 1-0 defeat by the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) Nigeria U-17 female team, the Flamingos. Enugu lost the match on Friday after conceding in the first half.

Described by fans as a team with future prospect, Coach of the side, Favour Chinedu told journalists after the game that his players lacked goal scoring instincts but expressed optimism that they would be ready for the 2026 edition of the Sports Festival which the Enugu State will host.

“We lacked goal scoring instinct. We created many chances in our matches but we could not find the back of the net. Against Abia State, we did very well but when you recall that we dominated the Flamingos and lost at least two chances that would have given us the victory, you will understand how close we came to reaching the knockout stage.

“My team is one of, if not, the youngest team in the festival in terms of the female football. You saw that the goal today was scored by 15 years old Chisom and that shows that they have immense future,” he said.

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Head Coach Bankole Olowookere said on Friday that Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, will not leave any room for a possible sucker punch as they take on their South African counterparts in a FIFA U17 World Cup qualifying match in Ikenne-Remo on Saturday.

“We are very much aware of the fact that it is never over until it is over. It will be foolish to assume otherwise. Yes, we won 3-1 away in South Africa, but the contest is still alive. That is our mentality. That has been at the heart of our preparations since we returned from Pretoria.

“My assistants and I have been working on the team’s mental strength while drumming it into the ears of the girls that focus is key. No loss of concentration is allowed. Our objective is to win on Saturday and make sure of a place in the final qualifying round.”

Shakirat Moshood scored once and Harmony Chidi netted a brace to earn Nigeria a 3-1 win in Pretoria last weekend – a seemingly comfortable position for a team hosting the return leg.

However, Cote d’Ivoire’s U17 girls showed that several things are still possible in football, when they hammered their Burundian counterparts 3-0 away after losing the first leg 3-1 in Abidjan, in these same qualifying series.

Olowookere added: “We learnt of the result of the Ivorians in the return leg against Burundi. It further underscored our insistence that the fixture is not over and done with. There is still 90 minutes to be played, and we must play it with our hearts and maximum mental strength.”

Match officials for Saturday’s encounter, which will commence at 4pm at the Remo Stars’ Stadium, arrived in Nigeria on Friday.

The winner of the fixture between Nigeria and South Africa will confront the winner of the fixture between Botswana and Algeria in the final qualification round, set for next month. Botswana won the first leg at home 2-1.

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