Flamingos crash out of U-17 World Cup after humiliating defeat to Italy

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Nigeria’s aspirations at the U-17 Women’s World Cup came to a dramatic halt on Tuesday when the Flamingos were outclassed 4-0 by Italy in their Round of 16 encounter at the Mohammed VI Football Academy.

From the outset, Italy set the tone. The deadlock was broken just before half-time when Anna Copelli slotted home in the 45th minute to give the Azzurrine a lead at the break.

Early in the second half, Caterina Venturelli extended the lead in the 58th minute with a well-taken strike.

Just five minutes later, Giulia Robino made it 3–0 in the 63rd minute, sealing Nigeria’s fate.

Italy wrapped up the scoring deep into stoppage time when Rachele Giudici converted in the 92nd minute to complete the emphatic win.

Despite a promising start in the tournament, having advanced into the knockout phase via a decisive 4–0 group-stage win over Samoa, Nigeria could not maintain momentum against a disciplined and technically adept Italian side.

The defeat ends the Flamingos’ run, bringing an abrupt end to their quest to better their bronze-medal finish from the 2022 edition.

Key issues for Nigeria included a lack of penetration in attacking phases, vulnerability to swift Italian transitions, and an inability to respond after falling behind.

Although possession remained close (Italy 51.3 %, Nigeria 48.7 %), Italy’s superior execution and clinical finishing proved decisive.