AFCON 2025
Nigeria’s Flamingos have qualified for the quarter-finals of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup. The Nigerian side beat Mexico 2-1 in the Round of 1 in Sale, Morocco, on Thursday evening. The win sends Hakeem Busari’s side into the last eight, where they face Venezuela.
Nigeria started the match applying pressure as Mexico resisted a barrage of attacks for most of the first half. Oluebube Umejiaku finally broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, and the Flamingos took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Nigeria kept up the pressure after the restart and doubled their lead in the 71st minute through Mary Dunstan
Mexico made it nervy in the closing stages. The referee allowed 12 minutes of added time, and Emily Delgado pulled one back in the 10th minute of stoppage time. The Flamingos held firm and saw out the win.
The victory builds on a strong group stage. Nigeria beat Puerto Rico 2-0 on Tuesday 20 October, then stunned defending champions North Korea 3-1 in their final group game to reach the knockouts.
The Flamingos now face Venezuela on Sunday 1 November with a semi-final place at stake. Venezuela advanced by beating Germany 1-0. Nigeria finished third at the 2024 tournament, and they have reached the semi-finals in the last two editions.
