By Our Reporter
Nigeria’s Flamingos have made history by reaching the final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time after producing an impressive 3-1 victory over Brazil in Wednesday’s semi-final in Morocco.
The Nigerian youngsters delivered a commanding performance at the Mohammed VI Football Complex to overcome their Brazilian counterparts and move within one victory of lifting their first-ever title in the competition.
Despite creating several scoring opportunities, both teams failed to find the back of the net in the first half.
Nigeria showed considerable attacking ambition, with Queen Joseph, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Oluebube Umejiaku, Mary Akpan Dunstan, Kanyinsola Yusuf and Favour Nkwocha all troubling the Brazilian defence.
However, the deadlock remained unbroken at the interval.
The Flamingos returned for the second half with renewed determination and eventually took the lead in the 56th minute through Queen Joseph, whose goal gave Nigeria a deserved advantage.
The breakthrough boosted the confidence of the Nigerian side, who continued to press forward in search of another goal.
Their persistence paid off in the 71st minute when Awawu Bashiru doubled Nigeria’s lead, putting the Flamingos in a strong position to secure a place in the final.
Bashiru was not finished, as she struck again in the 80th minute to complete her brace and extend Nigeria’s advantage to 3-0.
Brazil managed to reduce the deficit through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but the late consolation goal was not enough to prevent the South Americans from suffering defeat.
The final whistle sparked celebrations among the Nigerian contingent as the Flamingos secured a historic qualification for their first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final.
Nigeria will now face Japan in Saturday’s final, November 7, with the opportunity to make further history by winning their maiden title at the tournament.