FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup | "We are here to create records:" Nigeria U17 Women's coach ahead of the semi-finals against Colombia

Nigeria has already created history by entering the semis of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup for the first time. On their fourth try to go past the quarter-finals, they beat the mighty USA in one of the most exciting matches of the tournament. They defeated USA in the penalty shootouts by 3-4 as Bankole Olowookere, the head coach of the Nigerian team had some strategies ready for the shootouts. Before facing Colombia in the semis, the head coach stated that they are here to create miracles and confident of going into the finals of the world cup.

The Nigerian coach was accompanied by her team captain Emmanuel Blessing in the pre-match press conference. Bankole seemed confident in his words and is very much proud of the fact that his team has made it to the semi-finals of the world cup.

"We love football, we enjoy football. Qualifying for the quarter-finals gave us a lot of joy. Back home everybody is happy."

"Getting to the semi-finals is a morale booster for us as a team because we have put a lot of effort in getting this far. We trained and qualified from Africa with a good record...It is a big achievement for us qualifying for the semi-finals. Beating USA was an honour to us. We told you we are here to create a lot of records. And, that's a part of our record," coach Bankole said on beating the USA team in the quarter-finals.

The Nigerian team has done exceedingly well and scored 8 goals in the tournament. However, against Colombia, they will have to be as much resilient in defence as they were against the USA team. Bankole meantime believes, staying positive as a team and showing character in each minute of the game will be crucial for them to qualify for the finals.

Read Also: Japan vs Spain | As it happened | Heartbreak for Japan as Lopez's late brace takes Spain home

Along with that, according to him, the Nigerian girls have been doing great in showing toughness on the field. He believes a lot of girls in Nigeria will now look at them as heroes. Hence, it is their opportunity to create a platform for those girls who want to play football in Nigeria.

"There are many players outside waiting for football. We want to create a platform for them. None of the teams from Nigeria was able to go beyond the quarter-final stage. So, (after reaching the semis), we have been able to create that awareness. That is why (these girls) whenever they play, they show character (to provide the platform for others)," Bankole expressed.

Emmanuel Blessing, the captain of the Nigeria U-17 Women's team stated that the morale in the team is very high right now. They are feeling very much confident about creating more records for the Nigerian team and hopes to reach the final of the tournament.

Nigeria will face Colombia in the 1st semi-final starting from 4.30 pm in the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on 26th October.