Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, capped off their group-stage campaign at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Dominican Republic. A stunning last-minute goal sealed the win, ensuring Nigeria finished the group phase unbeaten, with three consecutive victories.
For much of the match, the Dominican Republic, who had only secured one point prior to this game, displayed an extraordinary defensive effort, keeping the Flamingos at bay and nearly pulling off an unlikely draw.
Nigerian forwards were frustrated repeatedly, as a combination of missed chances and the heroics of Dominican goalkeeper Jaylene Rondon kept the scoreline level deep into the game.
Throughout the contest, Rondon produced a series of remarkable saves, denying Nigeria on several occasions and holding her team in contention against one of the tournament’s most formidable teams.
The Dominican defense, bolstered by Rondon’s performance, stood firm, and for 89 minutes, it appeared that the underdogs might walk away with a historic result.
However, just as the Dominican Republic seemed destined for a famous point, Nigeria’s star forward Moshood struck a decisive blow.
The current adidas Golden Boot leader, Moshood picked up the ball 25 yards from goal, and with time running out, unleashed a thunderous left-footed shot that soared past a helpless Rondon.
The late goal, scored just a minute before the end of regulation time, broke the Dominican resistance and handed Nigeria a well-deserved win.
The victory secured Nigeria’s perfect record in the group stage, setting up a high-stakes quarterfinal showdown with the United States.
Meanwhile, despite finishing with just a single point, the Dominican Republic left the tournament with their heads held high, having won the admiration of many for their spirited performances against more established footballing nations.
Nigeria’s head coach, Bankole Olowookere, expressed his joy after the hard-fought win.
I’m so happy, I’m happy for myself, happy for the team, and happy for the whole of Nigeria.
We knew in this match we had to manage our energy and strength; these are young girls with many games to play so we had to take it easy,” Olowookere said, emphasizing the importance of conserving energy for the upcoming matches.
Elsewhere in the tournament, the United States and Ecuador also secured their places in the knockout stages with impressive victories over Korea Republic and New Zealand, respectively.
The Flamingos now face a challenging quarterfinal against the USA as they continue their pursuit of the U17 Women’s World Cup title.
With a flawless group-stage run, Nigeria will be full of confidence heading into the knockout rounds, while the Dominican Republic, despite their early exit, can take pride in their performance and look forward to future international competitions.
