Flamingos Triumph 3-2 Over Benin in U17 World Cup Qualifier

On Saturday, the Nigeria U17 Women's National Team, known as the Flamingos, secured a 3-2 victory against their counterparts from Benin Republic in the first leg of the final round of qualifiers for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup 2026. The match took place at the Remo Star Stadium in Ikenne-Remo.

Romain Gandon from Benin opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a powerful left-footed shot. The Flamingos equalized in the 26th minute through Queen Joseph's lob over the goalkeeper, Elis Kounkpaga.

Nigeria's captain, Harmoni Chidi, later attempted a shot that hit the crossbar. In the second half, Nigeria took the lead with a goal from substitute Kind Ifeanyi in the 62nd minute.

Benin equalized again through Nazifat Dangui, but Nigeria regained the lead shortly after with a corner kick goal. The return leg is scheduled for next Saturday at Stade Kegu in Togo, with the winner securing a spot in the World Cup final in Morocco.