WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Algeria’s ‘Green Ladies’ storm Nigeria as Ikenne braces up for hosting its fifth international match in two years
A 35-woman delegation of the Algeria senior women national football team has arrived in Lagos, ahead of the international friendly matches with nine-time African champions Nigeria on Saturday and Tuesday.
The team will first face the Super Falcons of Nigeria at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Saturday before a rematch in Lagos on Tuesday.
The Saturday match at Ikenne, the emerging national theatre of football in Nigeria will be the fifth international match that the town will be hosting in a space of two years.
The town had played hosts to AS FAR of Morocco twice in 2022 and 2024, Medeama of Ghana in 2023 and also the CAF Confederation Cup contest of El Kanemi and Benin Republic’s Dadjè FC d’Aplahoué.
The Algerian team will clash with the Super Falcons at the Remo Stars’ Sports Complex, Ikenne from 3pm on Saturday
The second match is scheduled for the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos on Tuesday, 29th October from 4pm.
The delegation members of Algeria are staying at the Eko Hotel & Towers, Victoria Island.
The ‘Green Ladies’, who have made five appearances at the Women Africa Cup of Nations, with their debut in 2004, were scheduled to train at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena at 5pm on Thursday.
However, both the ‘Green Ladies’ and the Super Falcons will move to the Legacy Pitch inside the National Stadium, Surulere for their official training sessions, with the Algerians to take the pitch at 4pm.
Head Coach Justine Madugu said on Thursday that he is expecting a masterclass performance from the Super Falcons, who impressed at last year’s FIFA World Cup finals in Down Under and made a return to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament this summer after a 16-year absence.
“We have been having useful sessions since we resumed on Monday. I am impressed with the discipline and sense of dedication of the players, and I am looking forward to a masterclass performance by the Super Falcons in both games.
“We respect the Algerians just as we respect every team we play, but the truth is that we need to bounce back strongly from the below-par outing at the Olympics and restore our team’s confidence and positive spirit.”
These two matches stir memories of the Aisha Buhari Women’s Tournament held in Lagos in September 2021, which is also the last time the Super Falcons played Grade A friendly matches on home soil.
Madugu’s squad has a large contingent of home-based professionals, with only six overseas-based players invited.
Despite wintry conditions in Blida, on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, Algiers, Nigeria’s U17 girls dug their feet into the ground on Friday night.
They achieved a scoreless draw that qualified them for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals.
Holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage, the 2002 bronze medallists adopted a calm and collected pattern that easily soaked up the expected pressure from the hosts and then relied on fast breaks to try and pull the trigger on their opponents.
Although they created better chances on the night, the Flamingos failed to make dominance in possession pay, but swiftly collected the ticket to Morocco on a 4-0 aggregate win.
The difference over two legs of the final round was a remarkable display in the opening leg by the Flamingos, during which a brace by Queen Joseph and one each by Zainab Raji and substitute Aisha Animashaun ensured a 4-0 win.
The Flamingos will now be one of Africa’s five representatives (including hosts Morocco) at this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals taking place from 17th October – 5th November. The final competition will entertain 24 teams for the very first time.
Since the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup competition was launched in New Zealand in 2008, Nigeria have failed to make the finals only once – the 2018 tournament hosted by Uruguay.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Despite heavy first leg loss, Algeria hopeful of a turnaround in Nigeria’s Flamingos clash
The Algeria U17 women’s national team still hope for a possible turnaround in this Friday night clash with Nigeria’s Flamingos.
Algeria lost 4-0 in the first leg match in Ikenne last Saturday.
The Algerians completed their preparations on Thursday at the Sidi Moussa National Technical Centre, the eve of the return match against Nigeria.
The return match is scheduled for this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida. Aggregate winners will pick a ticket to the FIFA U-17 Women’s 2025 World Cup.
According to sources in Algeria, all the players took part in the final session, during which coach Abdenour Mira finalised the tactical details for the make or mar encounter.
Despite the heavy defeat conceded in the first leg (4-0), the young Algerians approach this match with the desire to finish well and deliver an honourable performance against a formidable Nigerian team.
During the technical meeting held early in the afternoon at the FAF headquarters, in the presence of representatives of the two teams and the organisers, it was decided that Algeria will play in green, while Nigeria will wear white.
The match will be officiated by Cameroonian Aline Marie Noelle Guimbang, assisted by her compatriot Laurie Marcelle Tsafack Teikeu and Chadian Victorine Ngarassoum.
The fourth official will also be Cameroonian, Innoncentia Njang Ntangti.
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Under possible cold weather in Blida, Nigeria’s Flamingos set to grab World Cup ticket
The weather is most likely to be cold, but Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are set to continue a tradition of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, which has had eight editions, out of which the Flamingos featured in seven.
Only Japan, with 100 per cent attendance, has featured in more competitions than Nigeria’s Flamingos.
They look poised to feature again after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria in the first leg of the final qualifying series.
Apart from their opponents, Algeria, they have the expected cold weather to battle with at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), on Friday night.
Friday’s encounter against their Algerian counterparts is the final leg of a final qualifying round fixture, with the Flamingos, bronze-medallists from the 2022 finals in India and quarterfinalists from the last edition in the Dominican Republic, holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage.
The Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) has scheduled the match to kick off at 8 pm, at a time when the winds will begin to blow in stronger from the Mediterranean Sea.
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