Nigeria U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, produced a commanding performance to defeat defending champions Korea DPR 3–1 in their final Group B fixture at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, securing qualification for the Round of 16.
The Nigerian Flamingos displayed discipline, determination and attacking quality throughout the encounter, overcoming one of the tournament’s strongest sides to finish the group stage with a memorable victory.
The Flamingos started brightly, with Oluebube Umuejiaku making an early attempt on goal as Nigeria took the initiative from the opening minutes.
Their pressure paid off in the 15th minute when Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opened the scoring.
Mary Dunstan provided an excellent pass into the attacking area, allowing Adegbuyi to finish confidently and put Nigeria ahead.
Nigeria continued to press forward, creating further opportunities while maintaining their attacking momentum. Although some efforts were ruled offside, the Flamingos remained persistent in their search for another goal.
Their second breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute through Umuejiaku, who marked her first start for Nigeria with a goal.
Rafiu Tosin supplied the pass, and Umuejiaku made no mistake in front of goal to double the Flamingos’ advantage.
Nigeria carried a 2–1 lead into the interval, having delivered an impressive first-half performance against the defending champions.
The Flamingos resumed the second half with the same determination and extended their lead in the 56th minute.
Rodiat Yusuf stepped up to take a free kick and executed it brilliantly, finding the back of the net to make it 3–1 for Nigeria.
The goal further strengthened Nigeria’s position as the team continued to control proceedings and search for additional goals.
Adegbuyi appeared to have added another in the 88th minute, but her effort was ruled offside.
Korea DPR were awarded a penalty in the 82nd minute following a defensive error by Nigeria inside the penalty area.
The opportunity was converted, giving the defending champions a goal, but the Flamingos maintained their advantage.
With seven minutes of additional time played, Nigeria held firm until the final whistle to seal an impressive 3–1 victory.
The result secured the Flamingos’ place in the Round of 16, with Nigeria finishing second in Group B.
The victory also marked a significant achievement for the Nigerian side, who demonstrated their ability to compete against the defending champions on the world stage.
