Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have advanced to their first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final following a decisive 3-1 victory over Brazil on Wednesday night in Morocco.
Akeem Busari’s side took control in the second half after a scoreless opening period to outclass the South Americans and move within one match of securing Nigeria’s maiden championship at this level, according to LEADERSHIP Newspapers.
The Flamingos established dominance right from the opening whistle, creating several scoring chances in the first half through Queen Joseph, Mary Dunstan, and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi. Brazil’s goalkeeper Nathy made vital stops to keep the match level heading into the interval.
Nigeria broke the deadlock in the 56th minute. Adegbuyi attacked from the right flank and directed a shot toward goal, which broke kindly for Joseph to calmly tap in.
The team doubled their tally in the 71st minute when Awawu Bashiru sent in a looping cross that flew over the Brazilian keeper and nestled into the bottom corner. Bashiru completed her brace nine minutes later with a brilliant individual run, beating a Brazilian defender before calmly placing the ball into the net to make it 3-0. Brazil managed a consolation goal through a Greise Kelly header in the 89th minute, but it was not enough to trouble Nigeria’s lead.
After the encounter, Joseph shared her excitement, stating that reaching the final was a massive privilege for the squad. She noted that they are not only playing for Nigeria but are also proudly representing the entire African continent on the global stage.
Brazil coach Rilany pointed to technical lapses and Nigeria’s physical intensity as the main reasons for his team’s loss, admitting that his players found it difficult to deal with Nigeria's quick transitions and counter-attacking play.
Nigeria will now contest the final against Japan, who eliminated defending champions North Korea 4-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
