Nigeria’s Flamingos progressed to the knockout phase of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after a dominant 4–0 victory over Samoa in their final Group D match on Saturday, Afrosport reports.
Bankole Olowookere’s side had lost their opening two group games and went into the Mohammed VI Football Academy in search of a first win to stay in contention. With automatic qualification out of reach, the Flamingos had to fight for a spot among the four best third-placed teams.
Nigeria started brightly and took control early on. Queen Joseph opened the scoring in the 12th minute, curling a brilliant effort into the far corner. Captain Shakirat Moshood doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 28th minute.
Joseph, who was eventually named Player of the Match, struck again six minutes later, tapping into an empty net for her third goal in the competition, capping off a ruthless opening half for the West Africans.
The Flamingos kept up the pressure after the break, and should have gotten another goal but Moshood was denied from the spot by Samoan goalkeeper Grace Ae. However, Azezat Odutan added a fourth goal in the 67th minute to seal their first win of the tournament and secure a place in the round of 16.
Nigeria’s win ensured they progressed as one of the four best third-placed teams, with the Flamingos set to play Italy on Tuesday, 28 October.
After the match, head coach Olowookere praised his players for their response to earlier setbacks, promising improved performances in their next game.
“Our start was disappointing and we tried to make up for that,” he said. “The girls are happy now, they still want to take part in the tournament, they don’t want to go home.
“So they just had to bring a good game to make sure that we could remain one of the contenders of this tournament. It’s good that we have strong opposition, to prepare us for the next game. We have to work on those areas where they were able to penetrate from our team.”
In the group’s other fixture, Canada edged France 2–1 to finish top of the group with an unblemished record, while the French side ended in second place after suffering their first defeat.
