Nigeria’s Flamingos revived their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after securing a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico in their second Group B match at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat on Tuesday.
A first-half strike from Kemi Adegbuyi and a late goal from Precious Oscar secured Nigeria’s first three points of the tournament, as they bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening fixture.
The Flamingos started brightly, creating their first opportunity just two minutes into the encounter when Queen Joseph forced Puerto Rico goalkeeper Victoria Moore-Torres into a save.
Nigeria captain Chidi Harmony came close to breaking the deadlock shortly afterwards, unleashing a powerful effort that sailed beyond the goalkeeper’s reach but crashed against the crossbar.
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The Flamingos eventually found the breakthrough in the 25th minute following a defensive error from Puerto Rico. A poor clearance fell to Joseph, who played the ball into Kemi Adegbuyi’s path. Although her initial effort was blocked by two defenders, the talented forward reacted quickly to the rebound and fired home to give Nigeria the lead.
Adegbuyi remained a constant threat in the second half and nearly doubled Nigeria’s advantage with an effort from a corner that went narrowly over the crossbar.
Puerto Rico, meanwhile, pushed for an equaliser and came close to scoring their first goal of the tournament when Isabella Sanabria-Cora’s shot from the edge of the penalty area was tipped over the bar by Nigeria goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho.
The Flamingos held firm before sealing the victory deep into injury time, with Precious Oscar finding the net to ensure Nigeria claimed all three points.
In the other Group B fixture, defending champions DPR Korea thrashed Poland 6-1 to secure their place in the Round of 16 after recording their second consecutive victory.
The result left DPR Korea top of the group with six points, while Poland remained second with three points. Nigeria also moved to three points but stayed third due to Poland’s head-to-head advantage following their opening-match victory over the Flamingos.
With only one group game remaining, Nigeria must now secure another win when they face DPR Korea on Friday, October 23, to strengthen their chances of progressing to the knockout stages.
Poland will take on Puerto Rico simultaneously, with both fixtures set to determine the final Group B standings.
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