The Nigerian ladies needed Queen Joseph’s opener and an Awawu Bashiru double to render useless Graise Kelly’s consolation goal
Editor
Nigeria’s Flamingos have qualified for the final of the 2026 Women’s U-17 World Cup after they defeated Brazil 3-1 in the semi-final in Sale, Morocco, on Wednesday night.
The Nigerian ladies needed Queen Joseph’s opener and an Awawu Bashiru double to render Graise Kelly’s consolation goal useless. Joseph opened the scoring in the 56th minute before Bashiru doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 71st minute. The forward completed her brace in the 80th minute to seal the 3-1 win.
The victory has pushed Nigeria to its first-ever final of the competition. Nigeria’s precious biggest achievement was winning a bronze medal in the 2022 edition.
Nigeria will now face Japan in the final as they aim to claim their first FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup title.
The first half had ended goalless until the match picked up pace just after halftime. Oluwakeyi Adegbuyi drove into the Brazilian area, and her scuffed shot swerved into Joseph’s path, who tucked it in to give Nigeria the lead.
Then Bashiru doubled the advantage a few minutes later with an audacious cross-shot that lobbed, from the left byline, above everyone’s reach and into the net.
Bashiru then grabbed her second of the game after finishing a move that saw Flamingos practically pass the ball into the Brazilian net. Brazil’s late strike was only good for a consolation against a team that outperformed them by all metrics.
Japan defeated North Korea on penalties after the game ended 1-1.
Photo: Flamingos celebrating after the game
