Nigeria’s women’s under-17 national team, the Flamingos, upset host country Dominican Republic early Wednesday morning to keep their perfect record in the group round of the ongoing 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos had to wait until the 89th minute for a breakthrough, which came from midfielder Shakirat Moshood, who collected the ball from 25 yards out and fired a powerful left-footed strike past the Dominican goalie.
The Nigerian girls defended Moshood’s fourth goal of the competition, securing a quarter-final clash with the United States.
Nigeria ended the group phase with three straight wins, securing a second straight quarter-final against the United States, while the Dominican Republic finished with just one point but plenty of new supporters and hope for the future.
On Saturday, Nigeria and the United States will face in a rematch of their quarter-final match in India 2022, which Nigeria won after a penalty shootout.
In his post-match interview, Nigeria’s team coach, Bankole Olowookere, stated, “I’m so happy; I’m happy for myself, happy for the team, and happy for Nigeria as a whole.” We knew we had to manage our energy and strength in this match; these are young girls with lots of games to play, so we had to take it easy.”
