Nigeria’s Flamingos secured a narrow 3-2 victory over the Amazons of Benin Republic in an entertaining first leg of the final round of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup African Qualifiers at the Remo Stars Stadium.
The visitors stunned the home crowd by taking the lead in the 16th minute through Yenido Gandonou, but Nigeria responded positively as Queen Joseph restored parity in the 26th minute to send both sides into the break level.
The Flamingos came out stronger in the second half and took the lead in the 62nd minute through Oluwakemi Adegbuyi. Benin fought back once again, with Nazifatou Dangui making it 2-2 in the 73rd minute, setting up a tense finale.
Just two minutes later, Kindness Ifeanyi netted what proved to be the decisive goal, giving Nigeria a slender first-leg advantage ahead of the return fixture.
The hard-fought victory leaves the tie finely balanced, with the Flamingos carrying a one-goal advantage into the decisive second leg. A place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 will be at stake when both teams meet again.
Next Match
Benin Republic 🆚 Nigeria
📍 Lomé, Togo
📅 12 July
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
