Flamingos stun Brazil [Credit: NG Super Falcons]
Two goals from Awawu Bashiru and an earlier strike by Queen Joseph gave Nigeria a memorable victory against the South Americans.
Nigeria’s Flamingos have reached the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history after securing an emphatic 3-1 victory over Brazil in Wednesday’s semi-final in Rabat, Morocco.
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Two goals from Awawu Bashiru and an earlier strike by Queen Joseph gave Nigeria a memorable victory against the South Americans, whose late response was insufficient to prevent the Flamingos from booking their place in Saturday’s final.
The victory also guarantees Nigeria at least a silver medal, surpassing their previous best performance of bronze at the 2022 edition in India.
Brazil, who had reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive tournament, were hoping to secure their maiden appearance in the final but found the Nigerian side difficult to contain.
The Flamingos started brightly at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Oluebube Umejiaku attempting to break the deadlock in the opening 20 minutes.
Queen Joseph also came close in the 21st minute, but Brazilian goalkeeper Nathy produced an important save to deny Nigeria the opening goal.
Nigeria continued to threaten before the break, with Mary Dunstan, Kanyinsola Yusuf and Favour Nkwocha also testing the Brazilian goalkeeper.
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Despite their attacking efforts, both teams went into half-time without a goal.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 56th minute when Joseph found the net to put Nigeria ahead.
The goal lifted the Flamingos, who continued to press for a second as Brazil struggled to contain their attacking threat.
Nathy again denied Nigeria in the 62nd minute, saving Dunstan’s effort to keep Brazil within reach of a comeback.
However, the Brazilian resistance was broken again in the 71st minute when Bashiru produced a fine finish to double Nigeria’s advantage.
The midfielder was not finished. She struck again in the 80th minute to complete her brace and put the Flamingos firmly in control at 3-0.
Brazil managed a late consolation through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but Nigeria held on to secure a famous victory and a place in the final.
NFF Ag. GS Emmanuel Ikpeme praising God for the Flamingos handsome victory over Brazil in the FIFA U17 WWC semi final on Wednesday [Credit: NFF Media]
Historic achievement
The result marks a significant milestone for Nigerian women’s youth football.
The Flamingos’ previous semi-final appearance came at the 2022 tournament in India, where they lost to Colombia before recovering to defeat Germany in the third-place match and claim the bronze medal.
Wednesday’s victory takes Nigeria beyond that achievement and into their first-ever final at the competition.
The result also represents an impressive turnaround for the team, who began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland before winning four consecutive matches to reach the last four.
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They subsequently defeated Puerto Rico 2-0 and defending champions DPR Korea 3-1 in the group stage before overcoming Mexico 2-1 in the Round of 16.
Azeezat Oduntan’s 89th-minute penalty secured a 1-0 quarter-final victory over Venezuela, setting up the semi-final meeting with Brazil.
Nigeria will now face Japan in Saturday’s final after the Asian side secured their place in the title decider.
The Flamingos will be seeking to crown their impressive campaign with a first world title, having already guaranteed Nigeria its best-ever finish in the history of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.