Despite wintry conditions in Blida, on the outskirts of the Algerian capital, Algiers on Friday night, Nigeria’s U17 girls dug their feet into the ground and achieved a scoreless draw that qualified them for this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals.
Holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage, the 2022 bronze medallists adopted a calm and collected pattern that easily soaked up the expected pressure from the hosts, and then relied on fast breaks to try and pull the trigger on their opponents.
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Although they created the better chances on the night, the Flamingos failed to make dominance in possession pay, but swiftly collected the ticket to Morocco on a 4-0 aggregate win.
The difference over two legs of the final round was a remarkable display in the opening leg by the Flamingos, during which a brace by Queen Joseph, and one each by Zainab Raji and substitute Aisha Animashaun ensured a 4-0 win.
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The Flamingos will now be one of Africa’s five representatives (including hosts Morocco) at this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals taking place 17 October – 5 November.
The final competition will entertain 24 teams for the very first time.
Since the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup competition was launched in New Zealand in 2008, Nigeria have failed to make the finals only once – the 2018 tournament hosted by Uruguay.
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