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The battle for the quarterfinal tickets at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is raging, with Nigeria entering the fray against Mexico today.
The game is one of the star matches of the day as both sides have proved that they can rise to the occasion when the situation demands extraordinary prowess.
This pair rallied during the opening round by recovering from opening-day defeats to advance. Nigeria fell to Poland, but defeated Puerto Rico before pulling off a seismic upset by sinking DPR Korea 3-1 to take second spot in Group B.
Mexico, meanwhile, fell to Spain and were a goal down to Chile in their second match, but dug deep to win that tussle 3-1 before edging Australia thanks to a goal from inspirational captain Citlalli Reyes.
Today’s game at the Mohammed VI Football Complex – Pitch 2, Rabat, against the 2025 bronze medallists has been described as a game of two elastic sides capable of beating any side at this championship.
But the Flamingos will approach the contest with renewed confidence after producing one of their most impressive performances of the tournament against North Korea, who arrived in Morocco as two-time defending champions.
With a quarter-final place at stake, the Hakeem Busari-led technical crew will be expected to assess Mexico’s strengths and weaknesses while preparing the players for the tactical and physical demands of the knockout encounter.
Unlike the group stage, the Round of 16 offers little room for mistakes, as defeat would bring Nigeria’s World Cup campaign to an end.
Ahead of the meeting for a quarterfinal spot, those in the Mexico camp recognise that there is likely to be little to choose between the teams: “We play with real intensity, but so do they. We’re hoping our technical ability will give us the edge,” explained Coach Miguel Gamero.
As for record-breaking Reyes, she believes that the sky is the limit for the North Americans and highlighted the team’s togetherness as being key to their chances: “I don’t know how far we’re capable of going, but the one thing I will say is that if we keep doing the right things as a group, we’ve got what it takes to do something really special.”
Mexico’s record in recent FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup championships is impressive, but Nigeria’s Head Coach, Hakeem Busari, said pedigree would be of no consequence today.
He assured Nigerians that his technical crew had developed a strategy to give the Flamingos the best possible chance of progressing.
“Every team has their strong points, and equally, they have their deficiencies. They are equally top of their group, and they are equally a very good side,” Busari said.
“I believe they respect us equally. We have respect for them because every team at this particular stage is a contending team for the trophy.”
He expects an interesting tactical contest, with both teams capable of adopting similar playing patterns while approaching the match differently.
“Taking our chances is one of the major things that we need to focus on,” he said.
This is not the first meeting between Mexico and Nigeria at this level, as Nigeria defeated Mexico 3-0 in the group stage of the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
But today’s game could be tougher than the game of 12 years ago, with the stakes higher.
The winner of the game will meet the winner of yesterday’s game between Germany and Venezuela in the quarterfinals. (Guardian)
