By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria’s Under-17 girls’ national football team, the Flamingos, are set for an exciting final clash against West African rivals Ghana in the inaugural WAFU B Girls U17 Cup, hosted by Ghana.
The Flamingos have been in impressive form throughout the tournament, demolishing Niger Republic 9-0 in their opening group match, with Shakirat Moshood netting four goals and Janet Akekoromowei scoring a hat-trick.
In their second group game, Harmony Chidi’s hat-trick led them to a 3-2 win over Cote d’Ivoire, securing a spot in the semifinals, where they defeated Benin Republic 2-0.
The Flamingos have scored 14 goals in three matches while conceding just two, making them strong contenders for the title and aiming to make history as the first team to win the inaugural WAFU B Girls U17 Cup.
On the other hand, Ghana’s Black Maidens qualified for the final after a two-legged win over Benin Republic and a dominant 5-0 victory over Cote d’Ivoire in the semifinals.
Both teams remain unbeaten in the competition, with Cote d’Ivoire and Benin Republic battling for third place. Niger Republic is the only team eliminated from the five-team tournament.
The final match will take place at the Centre Prampram in Ghana, with kick-off set for 7 PM Nigerian time. Fans can watch the game live on @ufoawafub2606 on YouTube.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
