Flamingos Aim for World Cup Ticket, Set to Face Liberia in Decisive Clash.
Nigeria’s U-17 girls’ team, the Flamingos, are set to continue their impressive campaign for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualification as they host Liberia at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Friday evening. The match follows a dominant 4-1 victory in the first leg in Monrovia.
Goals from Harmony Chidi, Peace Effiong, Shakirat Moshood, and substitute Blessing Ifitezue secured a convincing win for Nigeria in the first leg. Now, only 90 minutes stand between the 2022 bronze medallists and another World Cup appearance, this time in the Dominican Republic.
Harmony Chidi has been a standout performer in this qualifying campaign, netting 11 goals in five matches. She aims to increase her tally further in the home leg on Friday.
The Flamingos have demonstrated exceptional attacking prowess throughout the qualifiers. They secured a 12-0 aggregate victory against the Central African Republic in the second round, followed by a 7-1 aggregate win over Burkina Faso in the third round, and a 4-1 triumph over Liberia in the first leg of the final round.
Historically, Nigeria has missed only one edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup – the 2018 tournament in Uruguay, where Cameroon’s Baby Lionesses advanced on the away-goal rule. The Flamingos are determined to avoid a repeat of that disappointment and secure their place in this year’s finals.
Friday’s match, set to kick off at 4 pm, will be officiated by Egyptian referee Shahenda El-Maghrabi, with assistance from compatriots May Ali Hassan, Gamalat Ahmed Shebl, and Noura Samir El-Sayed. Ghana’s Christine Ziga will serve as the match commissioner, and Tesfanesh Woreta Hailu from Ethiopia will be the referee assessor.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals will be held from October 16th to November 3rd in the cities of Santiago de los Caballeros and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The Flamingos are eager to secure their ticket and compete on the global stage.
