Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, delivered a commanding performance in their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying first-leg match against Algeria on Saturday.
The team secured a resounding 4-0 victory at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
The emphatic win puts the Flamingos in a strong position ahead of next week’s return leg in Blida, Algeria.
Early dominance
From the opening whistle, the Flamingos showcased their intent to secure a high-margin victory as urged by head coach Bankole Olowookere.
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Striker Queen Joseph needed less than a minute to break the deadlock, firing Nigeria into an early lead and setting the stage for a dominant display.
The pressure continued, and in the 13th minute, Zainab Oluwaseun doubled the advantage with a composed finish, further asserting Nigeria’s control.
Just three minutes later, Joseph struck again, netting her second of the match to make it 3-0 before the 20-minute mark.
Substitute seals the rout
Despite Algeria’s attempts to regroup, Nigeria maintained their intensity, with Coach Olowookere’s tactical approach paying dividends.
In the dying moments of the match, substitute Aishat Animashaun—one of the players tipped to make an impact—added a fourth goal in the 90th minute, capping off a near-perfect performance.
Coach’s vision executed to perfection
Speaking before the match, Olowookere emphasised the need for a “handsome win” to ease pressure ahead of the second leg.
The Flamingos’ recent form at the Remo Stars Stadium continued to shine, having previously defeated South Africa 2-0 in the previous qualifying round.
The venue also holds fond memories for Nigerian women’s football, as the Super Falcons secured a 2-0 win over Algeria in a friendly last October.
Return leg
With a four-goal cushion, Nigeria will travel to Algeria for the second leg at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida on 25 April.
A disciplined performance will be crucial to securing their place at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco (17 October – 5 November).
For now, the Flamingos can celebrate a job well done—but as Coach Olowookere warned, the mission is far from over.
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President of NFF, Ibrahim Gusau announced a cash gift of the sum of N6m (Six Million Naira) for the girls after the match, explaining that the sum of two million naira is from the NFF while the sum of four million naira is a gift from billionaire businessman Kunle Soname.
Mr Gusau charged the girls to go to Algiers and play their hearts out to win the World Cup ticket for Nigeria.
Photo Caption: The Flamingos have given their World Cup qualifying hopes a big boost
Photo Caption: The Flamingos scored three first half goals and added one more late in the second half
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