Flamingos opened their WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup title defence with a 5-0 victory over Niger Republic in Yamoussoukro, with Harmony Chidi, Awawu Bashiru, Ohunene Sunday, Mary Dunstan and Ayomide Rotimi on target.
The Flamingos opened their WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup title defence in emphatic fashion on Wednesday, September 16, defeating Niger Republic 5-0 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team controlled the contest from the opening whistle and turned a dominant first-half display into a convincing victory after the break. Captain Harmony Chidi, Awawu Bashiru, Ohunene Sunday, Mary Dunstan and Ayomide Rotimi were the scorers as the Flamingos began their campaign with five goals and a clean sheet.
Flamingos Take Early Control Against Niger
The defending champions wasted little time establishing their authority.
Chidi, who led the team onto the pitch as captain, opened the scoring in the 16th minute. The early goal settled Nigeria into the contest and gave the Flamingos an advantage they would not surrender.
Nigeria continued to dictate possession and apply pressure, with Niger Republic finding it difficult to cope with the pace and movement of the Nigerian attack.
The second goal arrived in the 35th minute when Bashiru finished clinically to put the Flamingos 2-0 ahead.
Nigeria appeared to have found a third goal before half-time, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Despite that decision, the Flamingos went into the interval comfortably ahead and firmly in control.
The Nigeria Football Federation reported that goalkeeper Onyiyechi Opara was barely troubled during the opening 45 minutes, underlining how effectively the Flamingos had kept Niger away from dangerous areas.
Nigeria Finish Strong After the Break
The second half followed much the same pattern.
Rather than sitting back on their two-goal advantage, Nigeria continued to look for openings. Their attacking pressure eventually produced another burst of goals in the closing stages.
Ohunene Sunday extended the lead in the 83rd minute, giving the Flamingos a 3-0 cushion.
Just a minute later, Dunstan added another to make it 4-0. The quick succession of goals effectively settled the contest and left Niger with little opportunity to recover.
Nigeria were not finished.
Rotimi completed the scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time, finding the fifth goal to round off an impressive opening-night performance.
The final scoreline gave Nigeria five goals from five different scorers, while the clean sheet completed a strong all-round result.
A Strong Start to the WAFU-B Title Defence
The victory is significant because Nigeria entered the competition as defending champions and will be looking to retain the regional title.
The tournament is being staged in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Flamingos‘ opening fixture was changed following Benin Republic’s withdrawal from the competition. The original schedule had Nigeria facing Ghana in their first match, but the reshuffle brought Niger Republic into the opening fixture instead.
The revised schedule means Nigeria’s next major test will be against Ghana on Saturday, September 19.
That meeting should provide a different type of challenge after Nigeria’s comfortable victory over Niger. Ghana are among the leading teams in the region, and the fixture will give the Flamingos an opportunity to test themselves against another strong West African side.
For head coach Akeem Busari, the regional competition is also about more than defending a title. The tournament forms part of Nigeria’s preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco later this year.
Busari previously explained that the WAFU-B competition would allow his players to identify their strengths and areas that still need improvement before the global tournament.
Flamingos Building Towards the World Cup
Nigeria’s place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 was secured in July after the Flamingos defeated Benin Republic 5-3 in the second leg of their qualifying tie, completing an 8-5 aggregate victory.
In that decisive match, Mary Akpan Dunstan scored once while Queen Joseph struck a hat-trick, helping Nigeria overcome a determined Benin side and secure qualification.
The global tournament is scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, with 24 teams competing. FIFA has confirmed that Nigeria will face Poland on the opening day, while North Korea and Puerto Rico are also in the same group.
That makes the WAFU-B tournament an important competitive test for the young Nigerian side before they head to Morocco.
The emphatic victory over Niger therefore gives the Flamingos an encouraging starting point, but there is still work ahead. Nigeria will need to maintain their attacking efficiency while continuing to sharpen their organisation and decision-making against stronger opponents.
Ghana Awaits in the Next Test
With five goals already on the board, the Flamingos have made an eye-catching start to their title defence.
Chidi and Bashiru established the advantage early, while Sunday, Dunstan and Rotimi finished the job late in the game. Just as important was the clean sheet, which reflected Nigeria’s control across the 90 minutes.
The next challenge against Ghana on September 19 should offer a clearer indication of how the defending champions measure up against one of the competition’s other major sides.
For now, though, the Flamingos can take plenty of confidence from their opening performance: five goals, five different scorers, a clean sheet and three points to begin the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup campaign.
