Nigeria’s Flamingos made a powerful start to their 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over New Zealand in their opening game in the Dominican Republic.
The Flamingos wasted no time in asserting their dominance, as it took only two minutes for Shakirat Moshood to open the scoring and give Nigeria an early lead. By the 30th minute, Nigeria had extended their advantage to 3-0 with goals from Taiwo Adegoke and Fairdat Abdulwahab, putting Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side firmly in control.
Nigeria continued their impressive attacking display in the second half, with Afolabi making it 4-0 shortly after the restart, leaving New Zealand with little chance of mounting a comeback.
New Zealand managed to pull one back in the 60th minute through Saxon, who scored a consolation goal to reduce the deficit to 4-1. Despite the brief moment of relief for the Kiwis, Nigeria remained untroubled.
The Flamingos created several opportunities to extend their lead even further, with Harmony Chidi and Peace Effiong missing chances to increase the scoreline. However, their missed chances did not dampen Nigeria’s commanding performance, as they comfortably saw out the game.
The emphatic win places Nigeria in a strong position to advance from their group, as they next face Ecuador and the host nation, Dominican Republic, in their quest for glory at the tournament.
Coach Olowookere will be pleased with his team’s clinical performance, which sets the tone for what promises to be an exciting World Cup campaign for the Flamingos.
