Flamingos overcome Black Princesses in six-goal WAFU-B U17 thriller

Nigeria’s Flamingos strengthened their position at the WAFU-B U17 Girls Championship with a 4-2 victory over Ghana’s Black Princesses in Yamoussoukro on Friday.

The result maintained Nigeria’s impressive run in the competition and underlined their status as serious contenders for the title.

The opening stages were closely contested, with both sides failing to convert several opportunities. Nigeria gradually took control after the cooling break, improving their passing and coordination as they began to create more pressure.

That pressure produced the opening goal in the 33rd minute. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi finished well to put the Flamingos ahead and give Nigeria the reward their improved performance deserved.

Ghana struggled to respond before the interval, and Nigeria extended their lead in first-half stoppage time. Captain Harmony Chidi found the net to send the Flamingos into half-time 2-0 up.

The match changed significantly in the 59th minute when Nigeria were reduced to 10 players. Defender Elizabeth Adesuyi was shown a straight red card for a foul on a Ghanaian attacker, giving the Black Princesses a numerical advantage for the remainder of the contest.

Ghana took immediate advantage from the resulting free-kick. Captain Seidatu Wahab struck directly to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and put Nigeria under renewed pressure.

However, the Flamingos responded effectively despite being a player short. Mary Dunstan restored their two-goal advantage in the 70th minute with an impressive individual effort, beating her marker before rounding the goalkeeper and making it 3-1.

Nigeria appeared to have added a fourth when Chidi scored again, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

The Flamingos continued to manage the game and eventually secured the points in the 87th minute. Kaosarat Akanji delivered a superb free-kick to put Nigeria 4-1 ahead.

Ghana scored again in the 90th minute through Gloria Ameaa, but the late effort was only a consolation. Nigeria remained composed during the closing stages and saw out the match for a significant win.

The Flamingos’ ability to maintain their tactical discipline while playing for more than 30 minutes with 10 players was a defining feature of the performance.

With the 4-2 victory, Nigeria move into a strong position in the championship and continue their pursuit of regional success at the WAFU-B U17 Girls Championship.