Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, continued their impressive preparations for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers with another emphatic attacking display, thrashing Youth Arise Football Academy (YAFA) 7-2 in a friendly match.
The young Nigerian side, guided by coach Akeem Busari, once again showed their attacking quality as they extended their strong run of performances in recent warm-up games.
Oluebube Umejiaku was the standout performer of the encounter, netting a first-half hat-trick with goals in the 13th, 25th, and 36th minutes to put the Flamingos firmly in control. Wuraola Olayiwola added another before halftime in the 38th minute as Nigeria headed into the break with a comfortable advantage.
The Flamingos maintained their intensity in the second half, with Sefiat Idris scoring in the 58th minute before Aminat Adebisi struck a minute later to further widen the gap. Queen Joseph completed the rout with Nigeria’s seventh goal in the 68th minute.
YAFA managed to score twice during the game through Israel, who converted from a rebound after a penalty in the 49th minute, and Terrence, who added another in the 66th minute.
The result means the Flamingos remain in excellent form heading into their upcoming FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier against Guinea.
With goals flowing freely and confidence growing within the squad, attention now shifts fully to the crucial qualifier against Guinea as the Flamingos aim to secure another appearance on the world stage.
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.
