Flamingos captain, Dah Zozzue Alvine has expressed the team’s determination to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup third-place match when they battle seven-time European champions Germany today.
In a tweet, the forward said her team mates are gotten over the defeat to Colombia and will do everything to win the bronze medal at the D.Y. Patil Stadium.
- Group trains 56,394 women business owners
- N370m water project fails to drop water in Gombe community
“Wednesday’s defeat was really devastating, we wanted to play in the final but we didn’t make it. We were pained and heart broken, I want to apologize to our fans that believed in us. We have picked ourselves up and will do all we can to win the bronze medal,” she tweeted.
Both Nigeria and Germany missed out on a place in the final after losing their semifinal matchups on Wednesday afternoon.
The Flamingos were edged by Colombia 6-5 on penalties after both teams had played out a 0-0 draw in normal time. Germany, on the other hand, was defeated 1-0 by defending World Cup champions Spain also on Wednesday.
Germany and Nigeria met earlier in the tournament in the opening match of Group B. The Nigerians drew the first blood in that encounter, but the Europeans bounced back to claim a 2-1 victory.
The Flamingos have been better since that defeat, though. The coach Bankole Olowookere-tutored girls crushed New Zealand 4-0 on matchday two and defeated Chile 2-1 in their last group game.
The Nigerian girls, in the quarterfinals, shot down the United States on penalties following a battling 0-0 draw to make it to the World Cup semifinal for the first time in history.
A first World Cup medal awaits the Flamingos should they beat Germany in the third-place playoff today.
