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Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, continued their campaign at the ongoing FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico in their Group B encounter on Tuesday evening in Rabat.
The 2022 World Cup bronze champions started the match with real intent, pressing high and causing early problems for the Puerto Rican defence. It was a lively opening from both sides, but the Flamingos soon took control with their quick movements and direct forward play.
The turning point came in the 25th minute when in-form striker Oluwakemi Adegbuyi finished brilliantly from an assist from Regina Joseph to give Nigeria a 1-0 lead. That goal settled the Nigerian girls and gave them the confidence to dominate possession for much of the first half.
In the second period the Flamingos continue to push for another goal. Queen Joseph, Tosin Rafiu and Favor Nkwocha all came close, while Puerto Rico also tried to find a way back into the game with a couple of changes.
Coach Hakeem Busari responded by introducing Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku in the 67th minute to add more energy and bite to the attack.
The pressure finally paid off in the 90th minute when Nigeria got their second goal when substitute Precious Oscar nodded home Kemi Adegbuyi’s cross to seal the match at 2-0. The team showed great maturity by managing to score six minutes of injury time and secure all three points.
The win is a big boost for the Flamingos as North Korea defeated Poland 6-1 in their other Group B match. The deficit against the Poles is an advantage for the Flamingos ahead of Friday’s Group B match against the Koreans.
