The Nigerian youngsters produced an impressive second-half performance on Wednesday at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, scoring three goals to overcome their South American opponents and secure a historic place in the tournament’s final.
After a goalless first half, Queen Joseph broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, converting a delivery from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi to give Nigeria the lead.
The Flamingos continued to dominate proceedings, with Awawu Bashiru doubling their advantage in the 71st minute after receiving a pass from Joseph.
Bashiru completed her brace nine minutes later, finishing off Oluebube Umejiaku’s assist to extend Nigeria’s lead to 3-0 and put the contest beyond Brazil.
Brazil managed a late consolation in the 89th minute through Greise Kelly, who connected with Yasmin Queiroz’s delivery, but Nigeria held on to seal a memorable 3-1 victory.
The achievement takes the Flamingos beyond their previous best performance at the competition, when they claimed bronze at the 2022 edition in India after defeating Germany in the third-place match.
Nigeria’s journey to the final has also been marked by an impressive recovery after opening their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland. They subsequently defeated Puerto Rico and defending champions North Korea in the group stage before overcoming Mexico and Venezuela in the knockout rounds.
In the other semi-final, Japan secured their place in the final after defeating defending champions North Korea 4-1 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The Flamingos will now face Japan in Saturday’s final, scheduled for November 7, with an opportunity to win Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.
Their qualification has already guaranteed the country its best-ever finish in the history of the competition.
