Nigeria’s U-17 girls, the Flamingos, secured a crucial 3-1 victory over South Africa’s Bantwana in Pretoria on Saturday.
The victory put the Nigerian girls in a strong position to advance to the final round of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualification series.
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The encounter at the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe Stadium was yet another chapter in the long-standing football rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa.
Matches between the two nations have often been intense, fueled by a history of competitive clashes at both club and international levels.
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From the Super Eagles’ battles with Bafana Bafana to the Super Falcons’ duels with Banyana Banyana, the rivalry has spanned decades, marked by dramatic encounters and high-stakes outcomes.
On this occasion, Nigeria asserted their dominance early, with 20 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup standout Shakirat Moshood opening the scoring in the 20th minute.
Moshood, who netted four times in last year’s tournament in the Dominican Republic, showed composure and precision to put the Flamingos ahead.
Shortly after, Nigeria doubled their lead from the penalty spot. Harmony Chidi, the prolific forward who scored 13 goals in the previous qualifying campaign, made no mistake from six yards, giving the Flamingos a comfortable advantage.
South Africa responded swiftly after the halftime break, reducing the deficit through Malebana’s well-taken penalty in the 47th minute.
However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed in the 68th minute when Harmony Chidi struck again, sealing Nigeria’s commanding win with her second goal of the match.
With this result, the Flamingos carry a significant advantage into the return leg, set for Saturday, 15 March, at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo.
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The winner on aggregate will move on to the final round, where four teams will qualify to join hosts Morocco as Africa’s representatives at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled for 17 October to 5 November.
While Nigeria received a bye into the second round of qualifiers due to their strong showing at the last World Cup—where they finished third—South Africa had to battle past Gabon in the opening round, dismantling them on aggregate.
The second-leg clash will be officiated by a team of Kenyan referees, led by Josephine Wanjiku as the centre referee.
Mary Njoroge and Elizabeth Njoroge will serve as assistant referees, with Juma Lucy Awino as the fourth official.
Cindy Barbara Dludlu from Eswatini has been appointed as the match commissioner, while Morocco’s Khadija Rezzag will assess the refereeing team.
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