Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, have secured their spot in the Round of 16 at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after cruising to a dominant 4–0 victory over Samoa in their final Group D fixture on Saturday in Morocco.
Coach Bankole Olowookere’s team bounced back strongly after losing 4–1 to Canada and a narrow 1–0 defeat to France, putting up a fine performance that secured their place in the next round.
Match Overview
The Flamingos made a strong start, pressing high and controlling possession from the onset. Their early dominance paid off in the 13th minute when Queen Joseph opened the scoring with a composed finish following a fine pass from captain Shakirat Moshood.
In the 28th minute, Nigeria doubled their advantage through Moshood, who converted confidently from the penalty spot after Samoa’s Holly Leapai handled the ball inside the box.
The captain’s leadership and calmness were crucial as the Flamingos looked to seal their first win of the tournament.
Ten minutes later, Joseph netted her second goal of the game, her third of the tournament, after connecting with a clever assist from Nguemo Terlumun to make it 3–0 before halftime.
Missed Penalty and Late Finish
Nigeria started the second half on the front foot and were awarded another penalty in the 47th minute after Azeezat Oduntan was brought down in the box. However, Moshood missed the opportunity to extend the lead, with her spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Grace Ae.
The Flamingos continued to push forward and finally found their fourth goal in the 67th minute when Oduntan curled in a beautiful strike from the edge of the area to seal the win.
Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu impressed on her debut, making two key saves to preserve the clean sheet, while substitutes Mariam Yahaya and Ayomide Rotimi added fresh energy late in the game.
Coach Olowookere’s Reaction
Speaking after the match, head coach Bankole Olowookere praised his team’s resilience and determination to stay in the competition.
“Our start was disappointing and we tried to make up for that. The girls are happy now; they still want to take part in the tournament, they don’t want to go home,” said Olowookere. “So they just had to bring a good game to make sure that we could remain one of the contenders of this tournament. It’s good that we have strong opposition to prepare us for the next game. We have to work on those areas where they were able to penetrate from our team.”
Queen Joseph’s Impact
Forward Queen Joseph continued her impressive run of form, scoring a brace to take her tally to three goals in the competition. Her sharp movement, intelligent positioning, and composure in front of goal have been key to Nigeria’s attack.
Joseph’s performance earned her the Player of the Match award, further highlighting her importance to the team as they head into the knockout stages.
Group D Standings
| Team | MP | GD | PTS |
| Canada U17 W | 3 | 12:2 | 9 |
| France U17 W | 3 | 6:4 | 6 |
| Nigeria U17 W | 3 | 5:5 | 3 |
| Samoa U17 W | 3 | 2:14 | 0 |
Nigeria finished third in Group D but advanced to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams. They will now face a tough opponent in the knockout stage as they aim to match or surpass their bronze-medal finish from the 2022 tournament.
What Next?
Nigeria’s Flamingos will face Italy U17 in the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
The knockout fixture is scheduled for Tuesday, 28 October 2025, at 8:00 PM, and will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
The Flamingos, who advanced as one of the best third-placed teams, will look to build on their 4–0 win over Samoa and continue their resurgence against an Italian side that topped Group A.
