We’ll down Nigeria: U20 coach

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanites coach Sebastian Nkoma is confident his team can overturn a 3-0 deficit when they face Nigeria’s Falconets in the second leg of their 2018 Fifa Women’s Undeer-20 World Cup qualifier early next month.

Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, the Tanzanian girls have been written off in some quarters, but Nkoma believes they will prevail.

“We are still in the competition, I believe we have what it takes to sail through,” Nkoma said on arrival at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) yesterday from Abuja.

“We will have to be on our game and rely on the high quality of our pace and movement. We failed to do that in the first match, but I am confident we will produce the kind of performance that we need to this time.”

“Nigeria had the chance to win the game by more than three goals and that would have knocked us out, so they will be feeling a little bit less confident and it is up to us to take advantage of it.”

Nkoma’s girls, who returned home head down yesterday from Abuja, need a win of at least four clear goals in the return leg tie set for October 1 at the Chamazi Complex to book a place in the second round.

The coach blamed the Abuja humiliation on fatigue, saying they did not have ample time to rest ahead of the match, which took place in Benin City.

For her part, the Tanzania Women Football Association (TWFA) chairperson, Amina Karuma, had similar views, saying she still believe that the team will give Tanzanians something to smile about on October 1.

She said TWFA in collaboration with Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) would organise at least two high-profile friendly matches for the team ahead of the showdown.

Nigeria is among three countries that registered convincing wins in the first round, first leg ties of the France 2018 qualifiers.

Cameroon were the biggest winners, thanks to a 9-0 drubbing of Guinea away in Conakry on Saturday whilst Nigeria made light work of Tanzania with a 3-0 win in Benin City.

Ghana’s Black Princesses proved too strong for host Algeria, handing them a 5-0 beating in Algiers.

The results put the trio in a good stead as far as places at the penultimate round of the African qualifiers are concerned.

Right from the kick off, Nigeria’s Falconets went in search of the goals but for some poor marksmanship by Mary Ime and Rasheedat Ajibade in the opening minutes.

The West Africans went into the break with a goal up courtesy Lilian Tule, who struck a superb free-kick past Tanzania goalie Gelwa Yonah on 22 minutes.

At the restart, Nigeria coach Christopher Danjuma brought on Charity Reuben for Ime and the substitution turned things around for his side as the new entrant struck good partnership with Ajibade.

Gelwa, undoubtedly the star performer for the Tanzanites, produced some fine saves to deny Nigeria more goals as the game drag on in Benin City.