Azonsou: Benin can surpass the Flemings in the second leg

Benin U-17 women’s team coach Idah Azonsou has praised her players for their spirited performance despite Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Nigeria’s Flamingos in the first leg of the final qualifying round for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026.

Azonsou remains confident that his team will be able to overcome the deficit in the second leg, scheduled for Saturday, July 11 at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, and insists that the race for qualification is far from over.

The Benin coach, however, admitted that her team paid the price for costly mistakes and stated that defensive lapses ultimately proved decisive against the Flamingos.

Benin paid for its mistakes

“First of all, it was a very difficult match. We all know that Nigeria is one of the best teams in West Africa and on the continent at this age. We went ahead, they took the lead again, then we tied 2-2 before conceding a third goal,” Azonsou said after the match.

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“I want to congratulate my players. I am satisfied with their performance. They played well against an experienced team. However, we made some mistakes that cost us goals. Those are areas we will work on and correct. The first leg is already over, but qualification is still open. There are still 90 minutes to play.

Azonsou optimistic about his return

The Young Amazons are undefeated at home in the playoffs, and Azonsou believes they can make that advantage count if they overcome the deficit and secure qualification in the second leg.

“As I said, this was just the first leg. We have seen Nigeria’s strengths, but we have also identified the areas where we need to improve. We will work on what did not go well today so that we can face the second leg in much better conditions,” Azonsou added.

“Everything is still possible. We are still in the race and we have another 90 minutes in Lomé to try to secure qualification.”