Nigeria’s Flamingos revived their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico on Tuesday to set up a decisive Group B showdown against reigning champions North Korea, Footynaija reports.
The Nigerian youngsters responded to their opening-day 2-1 defeat to Poland with an improved performance in Morocco, securing three crucial points to keep their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 25th minute, giving Nigeria the advantage after a positive start to the contest. The Flamingos protected their lead until half-time and maintained their discipline as Puerto Rico searched for a way back into the game.
Related Post
Nigeria eventually sealed the victory in stoppage time when Precious Oscar scored in the 90+3rd minute, removing any doubt about the outcome and completing an important win for the West African side.
The result moved Nigeria to second place in Group B with three points from two matches. They have scored three goals and conceded two, leaving them with a goal difference of +1.
North Korea lead the group with six points and a remarkable +11 goal difference after winning their opening two matches. Poland also have three points, while Puerto Rico remain bottom without a point.
The Flamingos will face North Korea in their final group fixture on Friday, October 23, at 4:00 pm Nigerian time at Pitch 4 of the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé/Rabat.
A victory would guarantee Nigeria qualification for the quarter-finals with six points. A draw could also prove sufficient, provided Poland fail to beat Puerto Rico.
However, defeat would leave Nigeria relying on Puerto Rico to take points off Poland, with the final standings and applicable tiebreakers determining their fate.
With their tournament hopes restored, the Flamingos must now deliver another strong performance against the unbeaten North Koreans to secure their place in the knockout stage.
