Despite a remarkable performance, Nigeria’s high-flying Flamingos have crashed out of the U-17 Women’s World Cup following a close defeat by the US. Get the full story on their inspiring tournament run.
The Flamingos were eliminated from the U-17 Women’s World Cup after a 0-2 defeat against the US in Saturday’s quarter-final.
Nigeria secured victory in all three of their Group A matches, netting nine goals and earning an equal number of points to advance to the quarter-finals.
However, in their match against the US in Santiago, Nigeria appeared sluggish and seldom posed a threat to their opponents. The situation worsened for the Flamingos when top scorer Moshood Shakirat’s tackle on Jocelyn Travers was deemed a penalty after an extended video review.
Nigeria 🇳🇬 lost 0-2 to the United States 🇺🇲.
Our sisters, the Flamingos, have concluded their journey in the Dominican Republic. We trust they’ll return stronger and wiser for upcoming challenges in Morocco next year. #SoarFlamingos #NGAUSA pic.twitter.com/aoupTTYHgx
— NGSuper_Falcons (@NGSuper_Falcons) on October 26, 2024
Kennedy Fuller from the USA swiftly converted the penalty just two minutes before halftime, giving the American team a lead.
In the second half, Nigeria made minimal efforts to level the score and unsurprisingly conceded another goal.
As the match progressed with limited opportunities for both teams, it was Kimmi Ascanio who capped off a smooth counter-attack by Team USA in the 74th minute, securing their spot in the semi-finals.
The semi-final berth is the first for the US since their appearance in that stage during the inaugural edition of the tournament held in 2008.
