U-17 WWCQ: Benin Coach Azonsou Eyes Comeback After Narrow Defeat To Flamingos

Benin U-17 women’s head coach Idah Azonsou has praised her players for their spirited display despite Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Nigeria’s Flamingos in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final qualifying round tie.

Azonsou remains confident her side can overturn the deficit in the return leg, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, insisting the qualification race is far from over.

The Benin coach, however, admitted her team paid the price for costly mistakes, saying defensive lapses ultimately proved decisive against the Flamingos.

Benin Paid For Mistakes

“First of all, it was a very difficult match. We all know that Nigeria are one of the best teams in West Africa and on the continent at this age level. We took the lead, they came back to go ahead, then we equalised at 2-2 before conceding a third goal,”Azonsou said after the game.

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“I want to congratulate my players. I am satisfied with their performance. They played well against an experienced team. However, we made a few mistakes that cost us goals. Those are areas we will work on and correct. The first leg is over, but qualification is still open.There are still 90 minutes to play.

Azonsou Upbeat Of Comeback

The Young Amazons are unbeaten at home in the qualifiers, and Azonsou believes they can make that advantage count by overturning the deficit and securing qualification in the second leg.

“As I said, this was only the first leg. We have seen Nigeria’s strengths, but we have also identified the areas where we need to improve. We will work on what didn’t go well today so that we can approach the return leg in much better conditions,” Azonsou added.

“Everything is still possible. We are still in the race, and we have another 90 minutes in Lomé to try and secure qualification.”