Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have made history by becoming the first African nation to reach the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup following an impressive 3-1 victory over Brazil in Wednesday’s semi-final clash in Morocco.
A brilliant brace from Awawu Bashiru and a goal from Queen Joseph secured the memorable victory, sending the Nigerian youngsters into the final of the tournament for the first time in history.
The achievement marks a significant milestone for Nigerian women’s football, surpassing the team’s previous best performance at the competition. The Flamingos finished third at the 2022 edition in India after losing to Colombia in the semi-finals on penalties before defeating Germany in a penalty shootout to claim the bronze medal.
Despite a tightly contested first half that ended without a goal, Nigeria returned from the break with renewed determination and eventually broke the deadlock in the 56th minute.
Queen Joseph opened the scoring from close range after Oluwakemi Adegbuyi’s initial effort was blocked, giving the Flamingos a deserved 1-0 advantage.
Nigeria doubled their lead in the 71st minute through Awawu Bashiru, whose stunning lob from near the corner flag sailed over the Brazilian goalkeeper and into the net.
Bashiru was not done yet. With just 10 minutes remaining, the forward completed her brace after finishing off a beautiful exchange of passes to put Nigeria firmly in control at 3-0.
Brazil managed to pull one goal back through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation as the Flamingos comfortably held on for a historic 3-1 triumph.
The victory means Nigeria will now face Japan in Saturday’s final, scheduled for October 7.
Japan booked their place in the title decider after overcoming defending champions North Korea 4-1 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation time.
The final promises to be an exciting encounter as the Flamingos seek to crown their historic campaign with a first-ever U-17 Women’s World Cup title.
Nigeria’s journey to the final has been nothing short of remarkable.
After suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening Group B fixture, the Flamingos have responded in spectacular fashion, winning five consecutive matches.
With history already made, the Flamingos are now just one victory away from achieving an even greater milestone: becoming the first African nation to lift the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy.
