USA Ends Flamingos’ Hope For U-17 Women World Cup Title

Nigeria’s Flamingos have been kicked out of the race for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.

Naija News reports that the Nigerian team was sent out of the tournament following a 2-0 defeat by their United States of America (USA) counterpart in their quarter-final match at the CFC Stadium in Santiago de los Caballeros on Saturday.

Katharine Fuller and Kimball Ascanio each scored to secure the victory for the Americans, who sought retribution for their quarter-final defeat to Nigeria in 2022.

Fuller opened the scoring with a penalty in the 43rd minute, and Ascanio extended the lead in the 74th minute, ensuring a decisive win for the three-time quarter-finalists.

This loss concluded Nigeria’s commendable journey in the tournament, during which they had triumphed in all their group-stage matches against New Zealand, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic, netting nine goals while conceding only one.

It is worth noting that coach Bankole Olowookere made two substitutions in the first half, introducing Blessing Ifitezue and Victory Ekezie in place of Peace Effiong and Risikat Azeez, but these adjustments did not shift the dynamics of the match.

The Americans maintained their superiority in the second half, with coach Natalia Astrain implementing tactical changes that yielded results. Ascanio, brought on as a substitute, quickly scored the pivotal second goal.

This outcome marked a disappointing conclusion to Nigeria’s campaign, as they had entered the match with aspirations of repeating their 2022 success against the same team, which they achieved through penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.