Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, thrashed Guinea 5-0 in the first leg of their second-round World Cup qualifying fixture in Abidjan on Saturday. Captain Harmony Chidi scored a hat-trick.
The qualifiers are part of the race to pick Africa’s representatives for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Nigeria got off to a flying start. Chidi put them ahead inside the first minute at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, then doubled the lead with a long-range strike in the 12th minute.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, a forward from FC Robo Queens, made it 3-0 with a low header at the far post before Chidi completed her hat-trick six minutes before half-time, rolling the ball under the goalkeeper after a clever through ball.
Mary Dunstan added the fifth in the second half to wrap up a dominant away win that puts Nigeria in a near-unassailable position ahead of the return leg.
The victory was also a welcome start for new head coach Akeem Busari, who was celebrating his appointment in style. The return leg is set for Saturday, May 30, at Remo Stars’ Ikenne Stadium.
The Flamingos have a strong record in age-grade competitions, having represented Nigeria at multiple FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cups. This emphatic away performance suggests they mean business again.
Sources: TheCable, BusinessDay Nigeria, Complete Sports, Daily Trust
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