Costa Rica 2014: Colombia dares Flamingoes

Having secured a relatively comfortable three points with the 2-1 victory over China on Sunday,  Nigeria’s Flamingoes are aiming to cruise their way into the quarter final placement in Costa Rica U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

With the intense opening match against China firmly consigned to the past,  the Nigerian side  is rearing to compound the woes of the Colombians that went down 0-4 to Mexico in their tournament opener.

This second Group  D match between Nigeria  and  Colombia’s “ Las Cafeteras”  today, can be aptly described as a familiar affair and will certainly  whip up sweet and sour memories  for both countries.

Both teams are familiar foes, having traded tackles at the same FIFA U- 17 Women’s World two years ago in Azerbaijan where Halimatu Ayinde’s  brace sent Flamingoes through to the quarterfinal and thus ended Colombia’s fairy tale run in the championship.

While history favours U-17 World Cup stalwarts Nigeria,  Colombia  may be on the verge of reliving in technicolor,  the nightmare of Azerbaijan 2012  0-3 pounding from Nigeria.

The South Americans who are at the bottom of Group D will try to claw their way up in this crucial cracker in Alajeuela, mindful that another defeat will surely see them on the next available flight back home.

As perennial quarterfinalists, Flamingoes are under pressure to better the past records of their predecessors. The girls have set their sights on the trophy, banking on the luck of their compatriots  U-17  men’s team Flying Eagles golden outing in the UAE FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Luckily, Coach  Nikyu Bala has been able to access his team after their first match with China and came up with the assurance  that there are plenty rooms for improvement and that Flamingoes will perform better in subsequent matches.

“ Performances get better as the games progress. I’m expecting my team to find their best form in their upcoming fixtures. We played well today, but for sure, there is still room for improvement.”

After winning the inaugural edition of the South American U-17 competition in Chile in 2008, Colombia’s reputation in women’s football has continued to grow on their  continent.

Even though they have been unable to advance beyond the group stages in their last two FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup appearances (New Zealand 2008 and Azerbaijan 2012), those experiences have proved crucial in the development of the nation’s senior sides.

Colombia’s first ever victory in a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup match was the 4-0 pounding they meted out to hosts Azerbaijan in the opening game of the 2012 edition of the tournament.

Coach Fabian Taborda  who is still in charge of the “ Las Cafeteras”,   has a way of cushioning the effects of defeat from his girls.  In defending his girls 0-4 loss to Mexico, Tarborda  had pinned their misfortune on inexperience, anxiety and nerves.

“The girls are only 15 or 16 and anxiety and nerves got the better of them. Even so, we tried to play the right way”.

In the same vein in 2012, after Nigeria ended the party for them in Azerbaijan, he had described the Nigerian side as a fast and dynamic team.

His words: “It was a difficult match. Nigeria are a very fast and dynamic team and we knew it wouldn’t be easy. I believe we can leave with our heads high because we have worked together for just seven months and the teams in our group were very difficult sides. So, we just did our best.”

The Nigeria, Colombia match is billed for  Wednesday 8pm Costa Rican time and 3am Thursday morning Nigerian time.