Nigeria’s Flamingos have made history, beating Japan 2-1 in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to become the first African nation to lift the trophy.
CDA News Nigeria reports that Awawu Bashiru scored in the 39th minute and Oluebube Umejiaku added a second in the 47th at the Mohammed VI Football Complex. Fuki Ito pulled one back for Japan in the 80th minute, but the Flamingos held on.
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the win also makes Nigeria the first African country to win the U-17 World Cup in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The Flamingos are also the first team in the competition’s history to lose their opening match and still win the title. They lost 2-1 to Poland in the group stage before winning five straight matches under head coach Akeem Busari.
Their run included wins over Puerto Rico, defending champions North Korea, Mexico and Venezuela, followed by a 3-1 semi-final victory over Brazil.
The National Sports Commission called the achievement “a defining moment for Nigerian and African women’s football.” President Bola Tinubu had earlier congratulated the team after the semi-final and urged them to go for the trophy.
The young champions now return home as history-makers.
Editorial note: Attributed reporting. Report errors or request corrections at info@cdanews.ng.
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