Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has explained why Nigeria had to wait until the final stages to break down Burkina Faso in their 2-0 victory at the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup.
Nigeria dominated possession and created opportunities but struggled to find a way through a disciplined Burkina Faso defence at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro.
Mary Dunstan finally broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute before Oluwakemi Adegbuyi added a second goal in stoppage time to secure another three points for the Flamingos.
The victory means Nigeria have won all three of their matches at the tournament, scoring 11 goals and conceding just two. They also remain at the top of the group with nine points.
According to Busari, Nigeria were not surprised by Burkina Faso’s tactics, the Flamingos coach said he had expected their opponents to sit deep, defend in numbers and look to frustrate Nigeria by playing long balls.
That approach made it difficult for Nigeria to find the spaces needed to create clear opportunities.
Busari explained that the Flamingos had chances early in the match but failed to take them. That allowed Burkina Faso to remain committed to their defensive plan.
The longer Nigeria went without scoring, the more confidence Burkina Faso gained in their approach.
“They want to play long kick, and they want to sit back,” Busari said.
Nigeria had controlled much of the contest but could not turn their possession into an early goal, Busari admitted that the missed chances affected the flow of the match, had the Flamingos scored early, Burkina Faso would have been forced to change their approach and leave more space at the back.
Instead, Nigeria had to remain patient while facing a compact defensive structure, for a young team, that presented another tactical challenge, Busari said the players sometimes became too eager to score, which affected their composure in front of goal.
“So we just have to be patient, patient really, because we are dealing with youths,” he explained.
The Burkina Faso approach was built around limiting space for Nigeria’s attackers, Busari noted that they defended with several players behind the ball while relying on direct football when they won possession.
That made it difficult for the Flamingos to break through centrally, the coach described the strategy as difficult to play against, particularly because Burkina Faso were comfortable allowing Nigeria to have the ball while concentrating on defending their own area.
The situation changed only after Nigeria finally found the breakthrough, once Dunstan scored, Burkina Faso had to move forward in search of an equaliser, that created more space for Nigeria to exploit.
The breakthrough arrived in the 82nd minute through Dunstan, the goal changed the complexion of the game and relieved the pressure on Nigeria, with Burkina Faso forced to abandon their deep defensive position, the Flamingos had more room to attack.
Nigeria continued pushing forward and eventually found a second goal through Adegbuyi in added time.
Her late strike completed the 2-0 victory and ensured Nigeria maintained their perfect record.
Rather than dismissing Burkina Faso’s approach, Busari praised the opponents for executing their game plan effectively, the coach said the match showed the growing tactical quality within African women’s football.
He believes coaches across the continent are becoming increasingly capable of preparing teams to deal with stronger opponents.
“That’s why I said, for Africa, we have good technicians, we have good coaches who can really read and come up with something,” Busari said.
He also credited his own players for eventually finding a solution, the Flamingos had to remain patient, continue looking for openings and adjust to the defensive structure in front of them.
The WAFU-B tournament is serving as important preparation for Nigeria ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Busari previously explained that matches against different tactical approaches would help his young players understand their strengths and weaknesses before the global tournament.
The Burkina Faso game provided another example of the type of challenge Nigeria could face at a higher level.
Instead of having every opponent attack them openly, the Flamingos will need to learn how to break down teams that defend deep and rely on counter-attacking opportunities.
The ability to remain calm in those situations could become an important part of Nigeria’s development.
The victory over Burkina Faso follows Nigeria’s impressive opening wins against Niger Republic and Ghana.
The Flamingos began the competition with a 5-0 victory over Niger before defeating Ghana 4-2 in a six-goal Jollof Derby, they have now collected nine points from three matches.
More importantly, Nigeria have shown they can win in different ways, the opening victory against Niger was emphatic, while the Ghana match demanded greater resilience after Elizabeth Adesuyi was sent off.
Against Burkina Faso, patience became the key factor, that variety could prove useful as Busari continues to prepare his squad for the World Cup.
For Busari, the Burkina Faso match was about more than simply collecting another three points, it provided his young players with another opportunity to experience a different tactical challenge.
Nigeria eventually found the answers, with Dunstan and Adegbuyi scoring late to secure the victory, the Flamingos now have nine points from three matches and remain unbeaten in the WAFU-B competition.
With the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup also approaching, Busari will hope his players continue learning from each game while maintaining their competitive edge.
For now, the perfect record remains intact, but the coach knows there is still work to do before Nigeria face the much bigger challenge in Morocco.
