LNigeria U-17 women’s team head coach Hakeem Busari has urged the Flamingos to maintain their concentration and remain focused for the entire duration of their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup quarter-final clash against Venezuela.

The Nigerian youngsters will face the South Americans on Sunday, November 1, with a place in the semi-finals of the competition at stake.

Busari said his technical crew would continue to remind the players that matches are not decided until the final whistle, stressing the importance of maintaining focus even when Nigeria are in a winning position.

His warning comes after the Flamingos conceded a late goal in their 2-1 Round of 16 victory over Mexico, despite leading by two goals before Emily Delgado scored in stoppage time.

“For us, it is all about concentration, including the goal we conceded. We will still tell them that it is not over until it is over,” Busari told SavidNews.com.

“We play for goal, value and placement into another bigger stage.”

The coach acknowledged the quality of Venezuela, describing the quarter-final opponents as a strong team with impressive physical attributes and technical ability on the ball.

Venezuela booked their place in the last eight after eliminating Germany, setting up a demanding encounter against Nigeria, who advanced with a 2-1 victory over Mexico.

Busari, however, declined to reveal the tactical plans his technical crew have prepared for the South Americans, insisting that the Flamingos would approach the encounter with a clear strategy.

“For Venezuela, I don’t like disclosing our arsenals. They are a good side. Very strong on the ball with good height. Nevertheless, we will draw up tactics we are going to use,” he said.

“I know by His grace we will overcome it. It is stage by stage. One game at a time, then we move on.”

The Flamingos have enjoyed an encouraging campaign in Morocco, recovering from their opening defeat to Poland to record victories over Puerto Rico and defending champions North Korea before overcoming Mexico in the Round of 16.

Their 3-1 victory over North Korea, followed by the triumph against Mexico, has strengthened Nigeria’s hopes of progressing further in the tournament.

A victory over Venezuela would take Busari’s team into the semi-finals, bringing them closer to matching or surpassing their third-place finish at the 2022 edition in India.

Beyond the technical preparations, Busari also acknowledged the support the team has received from Nigerians, the Federal Government, the Nigeria Football Federation and other stakeholders.

He expressed appreciation for the encouragement and prayers, while calling for continued support as the players prepare for another important assignment.

“We so much appreciate Nigerians and thank them for their prayers and support. To the Federal Government, Nigeria Football Federation, our stakeholders who are really behind us, talking to us daily, giving us the strong mind that we can do it,” he said.

“Nigeria is behind us. Everybody is really rooting for us. We want to tell them to keep praying for us. We will try and not let them down, to make Nigeria proud.”

The Flamingos coach concluded with a patriotic message, stressing his team’s determination to represent the country with pride.

“Green, white, green is in our vein,” he declared.

With a semi-final ticket on the line, Nigeria will need to combine the attacking quality that has carried them through the knockout stage with the concentration and discipline Busari has demanded.

The encounter against Venezuela offers the Flamingos another opportunity to demonstrate their progress and keep Nigeria’s hopes of a historic U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign alive.