Nigeria's U-17 women's national team, the Flamingos, have made history by winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time. The team secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Japan in the final played on Saturday evening in Rabat, Morocco.
The triumph marks a significant milestone, making Nigeria the first African country to lift a FIFA women's world title. The result also means Nigeria is the first African nation to secure both the men's and women's trophies in the under-17 age grade, following five earlier successes by the Golden Eaglets.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation, head coach Hakeem Busari's side started on the front foot and broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. Awawu Bashiru fired a long-range shot that slipped past Japanese goalkeeper Kou Kadowaki to hand the Flamingos a 1-0 advantage before the break.
Nigeria doubled their lead just two minutes into the second half. Oluebube Umejiaku struck in the 47th minute to put the team firmly in charge of the encounter.
Japan fought back in the closing stages and halved the deficit in the 80th minute through a goal from Fuki Ito. The match turned tense in the final minutes, with Nigeria's Kanyinsola Yusuf receiving a yellow card in the 83rd minute as the Asians searched for an equaliser.
Speaking after the game, Japan coach Sadayoshi Shirai admitted that his side paid the price for not taking their chances earlier in the match. He noted that scoring first could have given his team a much better opportunity to win the contest.
Prominent football figures witnessed the final at the Complexe Mohammed VI, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe. A Nigerian government delegation led by National Sports Commission Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko was also present to cheer the team on.
In the third-place fixture played earlier on Saturday, DPR Korea secured bronze after thrashing Brazil 6-0.
