Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, have qualified for the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco after a commanding 4-0 victory over Samoa in Rabat.
Forward Queen Joseph scored twice to take her tally to three goals in the tournament, while captain Shakirat Moshood converted a penalty, and defender Azeezat Oduntan added a fourth with a clever strike from the wing.
The Flamingos went into the match knowing they needed a convincing win to stay in the competition after losing 1-4 to Canada in their opening game and suffering a narrow 0-1 defeat to France.
Nigeria started brightly and took the lead in the 13th minute when Joseph finished calmly from a fine pass by Moshood. Three minutes later, Samoa’s goalkeeper Grace Ae denied Chisom Nwachukwu with a smart save, but Moshood made it 2-0 in the 27th minute from the penalty spot after Holly Leapai handled the ball inside the box.
The pressure continued, and in the 36th minute, Nguemo Terlumun danced past Samoa’s defence before setting up Joseph for her second goal of the game. Moments before half-time, Mariam Yahaya came close to extending the lead, but her shot was saved by Ae.
Nigeria had a chance to increase the lead early in the second half, but Moshood’s second penalty of the game was saved by Ae. However, the fourth goal arrived in the 67th minute when Azeezat Oduntan scored from a curling cross to seal a well-deserved win.
Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu also impressed with two fine saves to maintain Nigeria’s clean sheet.
The result was enough to send the Flamingos, bronze medallists at the 2022 edition in India, into the knockout stage of the tournament as they continue their push for another strong finish on the world stage.