Nigeria’s U-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, have advanced to the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Rabat, Morocco, following a commanding 4-0 victory over Samoa.
The win came at a crucial time for the Nigerian side, who needed a strong result after suffering a 1-4 defeat to Canada in their opening match and a narrow 0-1 loss to France three days earlier.
The Flamingos showed intent from the start, opening the scoring in the 13th minute when Queen Joseph latched onto a precise pass from Captain Shakirat Moshood and lofted the ball over Samoa’s goalkeeper, Grace Ae.
Just three minutes later, Moshood doubled Nigeria’s lead from the penalty spot after Holly Leapai handled the ball in the box. Ae initially denied Chisom Nwachukwu with a fine save, but Moshood made no mistake from 12 yards.
Nigeria continued their relentless pressure, and in the 36th minute, Nguemo Terlumun sliced through Samoa’s defence before crossing for Joseph to tap in her second of the night, making it 3-0.
Before halftime, Joseph combined beautifully with Mariam Yahaya, but Ae once again came to Samoa’s rescue with a brilliant save.
The Flamingos missed an early opportunity to extend their lead when Moshood’s second penalty was saved by Ae in the 46th minute after Terlumun was fouled in the box.
However, Azeezat Oduntan sealed the emphatic victory in the 67th minute, finishing confidently from a well-delivered cross. At the other end, Nigeria’s goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu produced two crucial saves to maintain the clean sheet.
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The result ensured Nigeria’s place in the Round of 16 and reaffirmed their pedigree at this level, having finished as bronze medallists at the 2022 edition in India.
With their attacking rhythm restored, the Flamingos will now look to build on this momentum as they chase another deep run in the tournament.
