Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, continued their impressive run in the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup by defeating host nation Dominican Republic early Wednesday morning. This victory allowed them to maintain a perfect record in the group stage.
The breakthrough came late in the match, with midfielder Shakirat Moshood scoring in the 89th minute. Collecting the ball from 25 yards out, she unleashed a powerful left-footed strike that found the back of the net, securing her fourth goal of the tournament.
With this win, the Flamingos finished the group stage with three consecutive victories, setting up a quarter-final clash against the United States. The Dominican Republic concluded their campaign with just one point but garnered newfound admiration for their spirited performance.
This upcoming match on Saturday will be a rematch of their quarter-final encounter from the 2022 tournament in India, where Nigeria triumphed in a penalty shootout.
In a post-match interview, Nigeria’s coach, Bankole Olowookere, expressed his joy, stating, “I’m so happy for myself, happy for the team, and happy for the whole of Nigeria. We knew we had to manage our energy and strength; these are young girls with many games to play, so we had to take it easy.”
