Nigeria ends Africa’s long wait with historic U-17 Women’s World Cup title
by Ayeh Offei-Akoto · MyNewsGh.comNigeria’s Flamingos have made history by becoming the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup following a 2-1 victory over Japan in Saturday night’s final in Rabat.
The Nigerian youngsters delivered an impressive performance to overcome their Japanese opponents and secure a historic continental milestone at the global tournament.
Japan began the final on the front foot, putting the Flamingos under pressure with their attacking approach in the opening minutes.
However, Akeem Busari’s team gradually settled into the contest and started creating opportunities of their own. Olubebe Umejiaku and Awawu Bashiru both came close to finding the breakthrough as Nigeria grew in confidence.
Umejiaku nearly gave the West Africans the lead in the 38th minute, but her header struck the crossbar and bounced away.
Nigeria eventually broke the deadlock just a minute later when Bashiru unleashed a powerful long-range effort that beat the Japanese goalkeeper to make it 1-0.
The Flamingos maintained their advantage until the interval before returning from the break with renewed determination.
Just two minutes into the second half, Umejiaku made amends for her earlier miss by producing a superb finish to double Nigeria’s lead and put her side in a commanding position.
Japan responded by pushing forward in search of a way back into the game. Their persistence paid off in the 80th minute when Fuki Ito found the net to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
The goal set up a tense final few minutes, but Nigeria defended resolutely to prevent Japan from completing a comeback.
The final whistle sparked celebrations among the Nigerian players as they secured a historic victory and became the first African country to lift the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy.
Source: MyNewsGh.com
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