Flamingos seal U-17 W’Cup spot

Nigeria’s women’s U-17 team, the Flamingos have qualified for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the seventh time after crossing their last hurdle by beating Liberia 2-0 in Abuja on Friday, to take a 6-1 aggregate win in their last game of the qualifiers.

Striker Harmony Chidi powered the rampant Flamingos above the Liberians with a brace to book their place at the tournament which holds from October 16 to November 3 in the Dominican Republic.

Chidi opened scoring for the Bankole Olowookere ladies four minutes into the game and added the second in the 63rd minute to take her tally to 13 goals in six matches of the qualifying series.

Nigeria won the first leg 4-1 in Monrovia on Sunday, with Chidi, Shakirat Moshood, Peace Effiong and substitute Blessing Ifitezue banging in the goals for the Flamingos. The hosts got their consolation goal off a penalty awarded with five minutes left of the encounter at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville.

The Flamingos journey to the Dominican Republic has showcased the team’s attacking potency with a 12-0 aggregate win (6-0 in each leg) against Central African Republic in the second round, 7-1 aggregate against Burkina Faso (1-1 and 6-0) in the third round before finishing the job against Liberia.

Nigeria have missed only one edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals till date – the 2018 edition in Uruguay for which Cameroon’s Baby Lionesses edged the Flamingos on the away-goal rule in the final round.

They featured at the inaugural edition in New Zealand in 2008, and subsequently at Trinidad and Tobago 2010, Azerbaijan 2012, Costa Rica 2014, Jordan 2016 and India 2022, where they won the bronze medals.

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