Nigeria’s Flamingos have booked their place in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final for the very first time, defeating Brazil 3-1 in a semi-final clash in Rabat on Thursday.
Queen Joseph opened the scoring in the 56th minute, finishing a pass from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi after a goalless first half.
Awawu Bashiru then doubled the lead in the 71st minute, assisted by Joseph, before striking again nine minutes later from Oluebube Umejiaku’s pass.
Brazil pulled one back through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but it was “too little, too late” for the South Americans.
A First Half of Tension and Near Misses
The match began with both sides fully aware of what was at stake — a place in the final against Japan, who were already waiting.
Nigeria started brightly, with Adegbuyi and Umejiaku both testing the Brazilian defence early on.
Joseph came closest in the 21st minute, only to be denied by a big save from the Brazilian goalkeeper.
At half-time, despite the chances, the score remained 0-0, and the pressure kept growing on the Nigerian bench.
Bashiru’s Nine-Minute Blitz
The second half was a different story entirely.
Just eleven minutes after the restart, Joseph finally broke the deadlock, celebrating with her trademark “SUIII” as Nigerian supporters in Rabat erupted.
However, the star of the night was midfielder Awawu Bashiru.
She produced a beautiful finish in the 71st minute to make it 2-0, and before Brazil could recover, she struck again in the 80th minute to make it 3-0.
Two goals in nine minutes against a Brazilian side underlined Nigeria’s dominance on the night.
In total, the Flamingos recorded 30 attempts, a statistic that “underscored how well the Flamingos dominated.”
Brazil’s late consolation through Kelly in the 89th minute did little to dampen Nigerian celebrations.
History Made in Morocco
The final whistle confirmed what every Nigerian had been hoping for — a first-ever appearance in the World Cup final.
This is history, given that the team’s best effort before now was a third-place finish in India four years ago.
The Flamingos will now face Japan in the 2026 title decider.
Japan booked their place by defeating defending champions North Korea after a penalty shootout in the first semi-final on Wednesday.
All eyes now turn to the final, where Nigeria will chase a maiden FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup crown.
