Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, bowed out of the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after a 4–0 defeat to Italy in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, SportPremi reports.
The result ended Nigeria’s campaign in Morocco, but head coach Bankole Olowookere remained positive, reflecting on the team’s experience and lessons learned from the tournament.
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Olowookere Reflects on Painful Defeat
Speaking after the match, Coach Bankole Olowookere described the loss as painful but emphasized that the experience gained by the players would shape their careers.
“Honestly, it’s quite painful. We came into the game with the mindset of doing something special, making sure that we win and progress to the next stage. Unfortunately, we held the game for 44 minutes before the painful goal came in and it was all squandered in the second half. It’s one of those things. The players gained a lot of experience. Going to the World Cup, having met many other nations, many other players and all together, those experiences go a long way to help their career, to make them superstars in the future,” Olowookere said.
Nigeria Flamingos vs Italy U17 Match Overview
The Flamingos started strongly, creating early chances through captain Shakirat Moshood, who forced Italy’s goalkeeper into an excellent save in the first half. However, Italy took the lead just before halftime through Anna Copelli, who capitalized on a defensive error to open the scoring.
Nigeria thought they had equalized early in the second half when Nguemo Terlumun scored from close range, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review for a foul on the goalkeeper.
Italy extended their lead minutes later, with Caterina Venturelli’s long-range strike doubling the advantage. Giulia Robino and Rachelle Giudici added further goals to seal a 4–0 victory.
Despite the defeat, the Nigerian side showed glimpses of promise, with Queen Joseph and Moshood leading the attack with determination.
Looking Ahead
Coach Olowookere expressed optimism about the team’s future, stating that the World Cup experience would benefit the young players.
The Flamingos, who had reached the semi-finals in the 2022 edition, will now begin preparations for the next U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Their journey in Morocco may have ended earlier than expected, but the lessons learned could lay the foundation for future success.
