Nigeria's Flamingos beat defending champions DPR Korea 3-1 in Rabat on Friday to reach the round of 16 of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Goals from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Oluebube Umejiaku and Kanyinsola Yusuf lifted Akeem Busari's side into second place in Group B.
Few saw it coming.
North Korea had won the last two editions. They also arrived at Pitch 1 of the Mohammed VI Football Complex with 12 goals from two games, after beating Puerto Rico 6-0 and Poland 6-1, which made the pre-match picture look grim for a Nigerian side that simply had to get something.
How the Flamingos did it
Adegbuyi struck first on 15 minutes. Umejiaku doubled the lead on 38 minutes from a Tosin Rafiu pass. Then came the killer blow. FIFA's match centre credits Yusuf with the third on 56 minutes, a free-kick. She was named Player of the Match.
Yu Jong Hyang pulled one back from the penalty spot on 82 minutes. Adegbuyi thought she had added a fourth six minutes later. Premium Times reported that the goal was ruled out after a video review found a foul in the build-up.
Captain Azeezat Oduntan told FIFA she was “super proud of my teammates because they all came out and chose to play.” She kept her feet on the ground. “I feel excited, but we are not there yet because we just qualified for the next round,” she said.
The losing coach was gracious. Ji Yun-nam, in comments to FIFA carried by Complete Sports, said: “Playing against a strong team like Nigeria made me realise how challenging it is to compete at the world level.” Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade also reacted on X: “Congratulations to the Flamingos on your win today!”
A three-way tie on six points
Three teams finished on six points. Goal difference split them.
| Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|
| DPR Korea | 6 | +9 |
| Nigeria | 6 | +3 |
| Poland | 6 | 0 |
| Puerto Rico | 0 | -12 |
Poland beat Puerto Rico 6-2 in the other game. It was not enough to overtake Nigeria.
That is quite a recovery for a team that opened the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Poland on 17 October and then had to grind out a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico three days later just to stay alive in the group.
Busari's side kept going. It paid off.
What it means for Nigerian football
Next up is the Group F runner-up. The game is on Thursday, 29 October, at 4pm Nigerian time, on Pitch 2 of the same complex in Rabat. Spain have already won Group F. That leaves Mexico, Australia or Chile. Mexico are second on three points after beating Chile 3-1, while Australia and Chile have one point each, and the last Group F games are on Sunday.
The manner of the win matters most. This North Korean side had swept aside its first two opponents. The Flamingos scored twice before the break and once from a set piece after it. For the NFF, that suggests this group can live with the best teams in the age bracket, and a quarter-final on 1 November now looks a fair target.
Nobody will fancy facing them.
This article was most recently revised and updated 17 seconds ago
