“We still have a lot to improve”: Busari refuses to get carried away after the Flamingos’ 5-0 win

Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has refused to get carried away by Nigeria’s strong start to the WAFU-B Women’s Under-17 Cup, insisting his players still have much to improve despite thrashing Niger Republic 5-0.

Nigeria began their campaign in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, in impressive fashion, with five different players finding the net as the defending champions claimed three points and a clean sheet.

Captain Harmony Chidi opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Awawu Bashiru doubled the lead before the break.

The Flamingos turned the contest into a rout at the end, with Ohunene Sunday, Mary Dunstan and Ayomide Rotimi adding three more goals.

But Busari believes the scoreline should not obscure the lessons his players still need to learn.

The coach was satisfied with the result, but stated that Niger is not an easy team and added that his team must continue to improve while preparing for more difficult challenges.

His reaction fits with his pre-tournament position that the WAFU-B competition is about more than winning matches.

Busari described the tournament as an important opportunity to identify the Flemings’ strengths and weaknesses ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

He also believes that the level of women’s youth football across Africa is rising rapidly, and warns that African teams could become increasingly difficult opponents in major international competitions in the coming years.

For the Flemings, therefore, five goals and three points represent an encouraging start rather than a finished product.

Nigeria’s next test will be against Ghana on Saturday, another World Cup hopeful, in what should give Busari a clearer indication of his team’s progress.

The coach’s message after a five-star start was simple: enjoy the victory, but keep working, because there are still bigger tests ahead.