Nigeria’s Flamingos dazzle with crushing win over New Zealand in FIFA U-17 opener

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Nigerian U-17 girls, the Flamingos, began their FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup campaign in the Dominican Republic with a dominant 4-1 victory over New Zealand.

Shakirat Moshood wasted no time, scoring the opener in the 2nd minute with a clinical finish. The Flamingos nearly doubled their lead moments later when Faridat Abdulwahab hit the crossbar in the 9th minute.

In the 13th minute, Taiwo Adegoke made it 2-0, while Moshood was denied a second goal after a close-range attempt was saved by the New Zealand goalkeeper despite a deflection.

Abdulwahab extended Nigeria’s lead to 3-0 in the 28th minute with a stunning strike. Captain Taiwo Afolabi then added a fourth goal, sealing the Flamingos’ dominance.

New Zealand managed to pull one back in the 60th minute through Hannah Saxon, but it wasn’t enough to change the outcome.

Harmony Chidi came close to adding more for Nigeria but missed two chances in the 75th minute.

Flamingos’ coach, Olowookere Bankole, expressed his joy on social media, tweeting: “We kicked off our campaign in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic with an impressive 4-1 win against New Zealand. I’m grateful for your support, Nigerians. Let’s hope for more positive results ahead.”