Flamingos Beat Brazil 3-1 to Reach First-Ever U-17 Women’s World Cup Final

Nigeria’s Flamingos have reached the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time after defeating Brazil 3-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final in Morocco.

The Nigerian side produced an impressive second-half performance to overcome the South Americans at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, securing a historic place in the tournament’s final.

Queen Joseph opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 56th minute, giving the Flamingos the breakthrough after a tightly contested first half.

Nigeria increased their advantage through Bashiru, who scored twice in the 71st and 80th minutes to put the team firmly in control of the encounter.

Brazil fought back late in the match, with Greise Kelly scoring in the 89th minute, but the goal proved insufficient to prevent Nigeria from advancing.

The victory marks a major milestone for the Flamingos, who had previously reached the semi-finals in 2022, when they finished third after defeating Germany in the bronze-medal match.

The team, coached by Akeem Busari, has demonstrated resilience throughout the competition. After losing their opening match 2-1 to Poland, Nigeria recovered with victories over Puerto Rico, defending champions North Korea and Mexico before defeating Venezuela 1-0 in the quarter-finals.

Their victory over Brazil also ended the South Americans’ unbeaten run in the tournament and secured Nigeria at least a silver medal.

The Flamingos will now face Japan in the final scheduled for Saturday, November 7, as they seek to win their first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.

The achievement represents a significant moment for Nigerian women’s football, with the young players now one match away from becoming world champions at the under-17 level.