Nigeria’s Flamingos began their 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a commanding 4-1 win over New Zealand on Wednesday in Santiago de los Caballeros.
Shakirat Moshood wasted no time in getting Nigeria on the scoreboard, netting a goal just 80 seconds into the match – one of the fastest goals in the tournament’s history. She broke through New Zealand’s defense to slot the ball past the goalkeeper, giving the Flamingos an early advantage at the CFC Stadium.
Nigeria nearly doubled their lead seven minutes later when Faridat Abdulwahab’s long-range effort struck the crossbar from 23 yards. The pressure paid off in the 13th minute, as Taiwo Adegoke’s shot from outside the box was mishandled by the New Zealand goalkeeper. The ball crossed the line before she could recover, a fact confirmed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), putting Nigeria up 2-0.
The Flamingos kept the pressure on, with Moshood testing the goalkeeper again in the 17th minute, forcing a punch over the bar. Just four minutes later, Peace Effiong came close to adding a third but fired over from six yards. In the 26th minute, Harmony Chidi’s attempt was blocked by the New Zealand goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation.
More Read
Captain Taiwo Afolabi nearly made it three in the 28th minute with a close-range effort, but the goalkeeper was able to parry the shot. From the resulting corner, Abdulwahab lofted the ball over the goalkeeper from 16 yards, securing Nigeria’s third goal before halftime.
The second half saw Nigeria continue their dominance, with Afolabi heading home a fourth goal just eight minutes into the restart. Adegoke’s pinpoint cross found Afolabi, whose looping header sailed into the net to make it 4-0.
New Zealand pulled one back in the 60th minute when Saxon scored from a well-executed corner kick, beating Nigerian goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma.
Despite New Zealand’s late efforts, Nigeria maintained control of the game, with Chidi coming close to scoring again in the 75th minute. The Flamingos ended the match in full control and will look to secure another win against Ecuador on Saturday, which could guarantee their place in the tournament’s knockout stage.
© Bold Media Innovations & Creative Hub Limited. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
