Nigeria's Flamingos face Puerto Rico today, Tuesday 20 October, in their second Group B game at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco. Coach Akeem Busari's side lost their opener 2-1 to Poland in Rabat on Saturday, so anything short of three points would leave them relying on other results.
The arithmetic is stark.
Where Group B stands before Nigeria vs Puerto Rico
Poland and defending champions Korea DPR both have three points. Korea DPR thrashed Puerto Rico 6-0. The Poles edged the Flamingos through a 33rd-minute penalty from Wiktoria Skrzypczak, awarded after a video review, and a Natalia Skrok strike on 65 minutes. Nigeria's reply came in the 79th minute. Too late.
That leaves the Flamingos and Puerto Rico on zero points, with Nigeria third on goal difference.
The format offers some breathing room. The six group winners and six runners-up reach the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams. A win today would put Nigeria level on points with at least one of the leaders, and it would keep them firmly in the race for a best third-placed slot even if Korea DPR prove too strong on Friday. Lose, and the door is close to shut.
What Busari must fix against the debutants
Puerto Rico are making their first appearance at the tournament. Their opening night against the holders was brutal. Six goals conceded. Still, Sports247 warned after the Poland game that the Flamingos must fix the defensive lapses that cost them in Rabat. The penalty came from a foul in the box by defender Ohunene Sunday. The second goal followed a clearance that never went far enough, according to Premium Times.
Chances went begging too. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi tested Poland goalkeeper Hanna Buchta in the 18th minute. Queen Joseph went close eight minutes later. Nothing went in until Busari's double change in the 68th minute freshened the attack.
Busari, the former Shooting Stars of Ibadan coach, brought this group to Morocco on the back of a perfect WAFU B U-17 Girls Championship, where Nigeria won all five matches against Niger, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo. Former Flamingos coach Bankole Olowookere had warned that such form would count for little.
“It's a different ball game entirely. Africa is different from the World Cup,” Olowookere told Sports247.
Saturday proved his point.
What it means for Nigeria
The Flamingos reached the bronze-medal stage in 2022. Anything less than the knockout rounds in Morocco would be read at the Glass House as a step backwards for a programme that feeds the Super Falcons. Goal difference matters as well, because it could decide the third-place rankings across all six groups, so a heavy win against the debutants would be worth more than a narrow one. Then comes Korea DPR on Friday 23 October. That is the toughest assignment in the group. The Flamingos will want their fate in their own hands by then.
For the background, see our report on the Poland defeat and our tournament preview.
This article was most recently revised and updated 25 seconds ago
