By Princely Onyenwe | News Desk
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have qualified for their first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final after defeating Brazil 3-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final in Rabat, Morocco.
The historic victory on November 4 has set up a final showdown against Japan, who eliminated defending champions North Korea on penalties to secure their place in Saturday’s title-deciding encounter.
The Flamingos delivered an impressive second-half performance after both teams played out a goalless first half. Queen Joseph broke the deadlock in the 56th minute to give Nigeria the lead before Awawu Bashiru doubled the advantage in the 71st minute.
Bashiru completed her brace in the 80th minute, putting Nigeria firmly in control with a 3-0 lead. Brazil managed a consolation goal through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but the Flamingos held on to seal a memorable 3-1 victory.
The result takes Nigeria beyond its previous best performance at the competition, a bronze-medal finish at the 2022 edition in India, where the Flamingos defeated Germany in the third-place match.
Japan secured their final ticket through a dramatic encounter against North Korea, the two-time defending champions. After North Korea took the lead through Ri Ui-gyong in the 52nd minute, Japan forced the match into a penalty shootout with a late equaliser in the 90th+5 minute, following an own goal by Won Sol-gyong.
Japan subsequently won the shootout 4-1 to book their place in the final, ending North Korea’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive championship decider.
Saturday’s encounter will therefore present Nigeria with an opportunity to win its first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title, while Japan will be seeking another championship after previously winning the competition in 2014.
The Flamingos have already guaranteed Nigeria its best-ever finish in the tournament, having secured at least a silver medal with their historic qualification.
With the final scheduled for November 7 in Rabat, the attention now shifts to whether Nigeria can convert its historic achievement into a maiden world championship triumph against the Japanese side.
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