Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, produced a commanding performance on Saturday, thrashing Samoa 4–0 to seal a place in the Round of 16 at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
After suffering back-to-back defeats to Canada and France in their opening Group D matches, Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side needed a convincing win to progress as one of the best third-placed teams and they delivered in emphatic fashion.
Queen Joseph led the charge with a brace, while captain Shakirat Moshood and Azeezat Oduntan also found the net in a one-sided affair.
Joseph opened the scoring in the 13th minute, latching onto a loose ball inside the box to calm early nerves.
Moshood doubled the advantage from the penalty spot just before the half-hour mark, following a VAR review that confirmed a foul in the area.
Barely five minutes later, Joseph completed her brace after a delightful assist from Tabitha Terlumu, giving Nigeria a comfortable 3–0 lead before the break.
Moshood missed a chance to extend the lead early in the second half when her penalty was saved by Samoan goalkeeper Grace Ae in the 47th minute.
But Oduntan ensured there was no comeback for the Oceania side, curling home a superb strike into the top corner in the 68th minute.
Despite several late chances, Nigeria settled for a 4–0 win, enough to secure qualification with a +3 goal difference and a third-place finish in the group.
Meanwhile, Canada topped Group D after defeating France 2–1 in the other fixture.
The Flamingos will now face Korea DPR in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, as they continue their quest for a maiden U-17 World Cup title.
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