By Attah Ede
The Flamingos of Nigeria, on Saturday night, crashed out of the FIFA U-17 Women World Cup tournament taking place in Dominican Republic after they lost to the United States of America’s team.
The Nigeria girls were defeated 2-0 in their quarter-final clash at the CFC Stadium, Santiago de los Caballeros by the Americans.
Two goals from Katharine Fuller and Kimball Ascanio pulled the Flamingos out of the competition, as the Americans avenged their 2022 quarterfinal loss to Nigeria.
Fuller put the Americans ahead from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute, before Ascanio doubled the lead in the 74th minute to seal victory for the three-time quarterfinalists.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s impressive run in the tournament, where they had won all their group matches against New Zealand, Ecuador, and Dominican Republic, scoring nine goals and conceding just one.
During the game, Coach of Flamingos, Bankole Olowookere made two first-half substitutions, bringing on Blessing Ifitezue and Victory Ekezie for Peace Effiong and Risikat Azeez, respectively, but these changes could not add any impact to the game on the side of Nigeria.
The Americans continued their dominance in the second half, with coach Natalia Astrain making tactical substitutions that proved effective. Ascanio, who came on as a substitute, made an immediate impact by scoring the crucial second goal.
The result brought a bitter end to Nigeria’s campaign, having entered the match with high hopes of replicating their 2022 triumph over the same opponents, where they won via penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
