JUST IN: Flamingos Make History, Beat Japan to Win First U-17 Women’s World Cup Title
The Nigerian U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have made history after defeating Japan 2-1 to win their first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title in Morocco.
The Flamingos secured the historic victory in Saturday’s final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, becoming the first African country to win the women’s U-17 World Cup.
Awawu Bashiru opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 39th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the advantage in the 47th minute to give the Nigerian side a two-goal cushion.
Japan reduced the deficit through Fuki Ito in the 80th minute but could not find another goal as Nigeria held on to secure the championship.
The victory represents a major milestone for Nigerian football, with the Flamingos becoming the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 2008.
Nigeria have also become the first African country to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup in both men’s and women’s categories.
The country’s male U-17 national team, the Golden Eaglets, have previously won the men’s competition five times, in 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.
The Flamingos’ triumph also marks an extraordinary turnaround in their campaign after they began the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Poland.
Rather than allow the opening setback to derail their ambitions, the Nigerian girls recovered to record five consecutive victories before reaching the final.
Their campaign included a 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea in the group stage, a 2-1 win against Mexico in the Round of 16 and a 1-0 triumph over Venezuela in the quarter-finals.
They subsequently defeated Brazil 3-1 in the semi-finals to secure their first-ever appearance in the tournament’s final.
Queen Joseph opened the scoring against Brazil before substitute Bashiru scored twice to complete the victory.
Japan, meanwhile, reached the final after overcoming North Korea in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in their semi-final encounter.
The Japanese side had won the competition once, in 2014, before facing Nigeria in their fourth final appearance.
Nigeria’s victory is particularly significant for African women’s football, as the continent had never previously produced a champion in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The achievement also gives Nigeria another major milestone in international youth football and places the Flamingos among the competition’s title-winning teams.
The National Sports Commission congratulated the team following the victory, describing the achievement as a defining moment for Nigerian and African women’s football.
The Flamingos’ historic triumph brings an end to their impressive campaign in Morocco and delivers Nigeria its first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy.
