Flamingos Coach Talks Defense and Game Plan for Return Leg

Despite winning, Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has raised concerns about Nigeria’s defense after the team let in two goals in their 3-2 first-leg win against the Benin Republic in Ikenne.

In an interview, Busari discussed his team's performance, the defensive errors that allowed Benin to score, his choice to keep defender Ene Esther Stephen on the field despite her mistakes, and the changes the Flamingos will make for the next match.

“Thank you very much. Before a game like this, we studied the other team and prepared for different situations,” he said. “We told the players how to respond if they attacked with one or two players. But football is about human errors, and sometimes mistakes happen.

“The first goal came because the cover was a little late. These things happen in football. Instead of panicking, we reminded ourselves to reorganise, correct the structure, and stay in the game. We focused until the final whistle.”

One major point of discussion was defender Ene Esther Stephen, whose mistake led to one of Benin’s goals. Busari shared that he chose not to take her out, believing young players need a chance to bounce back from mistakes.

“Every player reacts differently after a mistake,” he explained. “For her, the error affected her mentally. Some players recover quickly with encouragement, while others need more time. If you keep taking players off for one mistake, how will you build a strong team? It’s all about coaching, communication, and believing in your players. Football is about making mistakes, but we need to reduce them. Even towards the end of the match, she was still thinking about that mistake with the score at 2-2. It’s a natural reaction, especially for young players. Thankfully, we helped her recover.”

Busari admitted that he was more frustrated by Nigeria’s missed chances than the defensive errors. He believes the Flamingos could have won easily if they had taken their chances.

“We wasted a lot of scoring opportunities, and that’s not usually how we play,” he said. “We normally convert our chances. We’ll review everything and check if it was our body posture, execution, or anxiety. I think conceding that early goal affected the players mentally. If we had scored first, the match would have been easier. We also rushed our play due to youthful excitement. Instead of completing 10 or 15 passes in the first leg, we managed only five or six. But we’ll work on these issues before the second leg.”

Busari pointed out Benin’s standout player, Romega Ndunu, whose speed and skill troubled Nigeria’s defense. When asked if stopping her would be a key strategy for the return leg, Busari acknowledged her talent.

“For a player like her, it’s like bringing a Falcon to play at U-17 level,” he said. “She has played for their senior national team, so the quality difference is clear. But no single player can win the game alone. Our job now is to study her closely. Is her strength on the right or left? What does she do without the ball? How patient is she? We’ll analyze these details before the second leg. Sometimes football doesn’t go as planned, but we’ll prepare well.”

He praised winger Queen for her energetic performance, including scoring Nigeria’s first goal, but stressed that individual performances matter less than getting qualified.

“What we want now is qualification,” he said. “And qualification comes through hard work, determination, and dedication. We’ll keep encouraging the players because if we had scored even half of our chances, the game could have ended 7-2. Those are chances we normally convert. Football is unpredictable, and some days things don’t work out. Our job now is to find what to improve before the second leg.”

When asked if tougher pre-tournament matches would have prepared the Flamingos better, Busari defended the team’s preparations. “We prepared in stages,” he explained. “We played teams like Dream Star and Unification because they were nearby. After each game, we send reports to our superiors, review our performances, and plan the next steps. Right now, our focus is on qualification. Once we get through this round, we will prepare for the next phase.”

The coach also spoke about his players’ mindset after going behind early. “I think we managed part of that during the game,” he said. “When they scored, I immediately told our players not to panic or rush to grab the ball. We needed to respond confidently because this was our task. The players showed great character to fight back.” He added that the coaching staff would manage the team’s emotions after the match. “We’ll discuss everything with them, but we won’t overload them because of their age. Football has moments like this, and it’s our job to guide them back the right way.”

Busari explained why he quickly told Kindness to stop celebrating after scoring Nigeria’s third goal and to restart play fast. The coach wanted a fourth goal to give the Flamingos a better lead before the return leg.

“In football, goals are power,” he said. “Getting a fourth goal would have put us in a much stronger position before going for the second leg. At 3-2, we were still uneasy. If we had gone two or three goals ahead, we could have managed the second leg differently, kept possession, closed spaces, and controlled the game because we are a better passing side. But with just a one-goal lead, you are always under pressure. We will analyze everything, and I believe we will find the right solutions.”

Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi also admitted the team did not meet its usual standards in front of goal after missing several clear chances. When asked about her unusually wasteful performance, Chidi stayed positive: “First of all, I have to thank God for everything. I believe it’s a game, and we’ll work on that.”