By Amaechi Agbo
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team head coach, Akeem Busari, has revealed how the Flamingos used tactical adjustments to defeat North Korea 3-1 at the ongoing 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Speaking to FIFA after the victory on Friday, Busari explained that Nigeria’s decision to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation helped the team counter the attacking threat posed by the defending champions.
“The key was to play in a 4-2-3-1. We had analysed their system and found that they play in a 4-3-3, with a lot of pace on the wings and excellent dribbling ability,” Busari explained.
The Flamingos coach said his team focused on slowing down North Korea’s attacking movements and preventing the opponents from exploiting the wide areas.
“We tried to slow their game down and prevent crosses. We also relied on our two defensive midfielders to keep them in check and initiate counter-attacks. That was our intention, and it worked well,” he added.
Nigeria executed the game plan effectively, taking a two-goal lead into half-time through Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Oluebube Umejiaku.
Kanyinsola Yusuf extended the advantage with a superb free-kick in the 56th minute to give the Flamingos a commanding 3-0 lead before North Korea pulled one back through Yu Jong-hyang’s penalty in the 82nd minute.
Busari described the encounter as one of the toughest his team had faced and also acknowledged the quality of the North Korean side while praising his players’ performance.
“It was one of the most difficult matches that we’ve played so far. We were up against a real team of champions. We played well, but the girls are young, and I certainly don’t want them to get carried away.”
The victory secured Nigeria’s place in the Round of 16 and ended North Korea’s long unbeaten run in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Despite the impressive result, Busari warned his players against complacency, stressing the need to maintain their discipline and improve their intensity as the competition progresses.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
