Following a 2-0 loss to the United States in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s National Team, known as the Flamingos, was ousted from the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The game was a replay of the quarterfinal in 2022, in which Nigeria had won.
But this time, the US squad was too formidable, scoring goals in each half to guarantee their spot in the semifinals.
The United States took a 1-0 lead when the opening goal was scored from a penalty kick in the 43rd minute. Nigeria made a valiant effort to tie the score but was unable to make the breakthrough.
In the 74th minute, Kimmi Ascanio scored the second goal, which put an end to Nigeria’s successful World Cup campaign.
Notwithstanding the defeat, the Flamingos had a great competition, winning their group with resounding wins over Ecuador and New Zealand and defeating the hosts, Dominican Republic.
The Flamingos, who won a bronze medal at the 2022 competition in India, would be disappointed not to have equalled, much alone surpassed, their prior result.
The team will build on the knowledge they have received from this competition as they look to the future, hoping to achieve even more success in the upcoming edition, which is scheduled for Morocco in 2025.