Olowookere Reacts After Flamingos Crash Out Of U-17 Women’s World Cup

29 Oct 2025, 10:39 by Ernest Victor · Naija News

Flamingos head coach, Bankole Olowookere, has expressed deep disappointment following Nigeria’s early exit from the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The Nigerian girls saw their campaign end in painful fashion after a 4-0 defeat to Italy in the Round of 16 clash played on Tuesday night in Rabat.

Despite showing flashes of promise, the Flamingos failed to convert several scoring chances and were punished by a clinical Italian side. Nigeria had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside before Italy took the lead just before half-time and went on to dominate the second half.

“Honestly, it’s quite painful. We came into the game with mindset of doing something special, making sure that we win and we progress to the next stage,” Olowookere told FIFA.com after the game. “Unfortunately, we held the game for 44 minutes before the painful goal came in and it was all squandered in the second half. It’s one of those things.”

The result means Nigeria’s quest to build on their semi-final finish in the previous edition of the tournament has ended prematurely.

Italy’s victory booked them a spot in the quarter-finals, joining Brazil, the Netherlands and North Korea in the last eight. Brazil eased past China 3-0, North Korea hammered hosts Morocco 6-1, while the Netherlands edged the United States on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

More Round of 16 fixtures are scheduled for later today.