Nigeria’s Flamingos have bowed out of the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic following a 2-0 defeat to the United States in Saturday’s quarter-final clash.
The American side sealed their place in the semi-finals with goals from Kennedy Fuller and Kimmie Ascanio, ending Nigeria’s impressive campaign in the tournament. Softfootball understands that the victory also served as sweet revenge for the USA after their dramatic quarter-final exit to the Flamingos at the 2022 edition in India.
The USA broke the deadlock just before halftime when Fuller found the back of the net in the 43rd minute, giving her side a crucial advantage heading into the break.
Nigeria pushed for an equaliser in the second half but struggled to break down the resilient American defence. As the Flamingos committed more players forward, Ascanio capitalised to double the USA’s lead and put the contest beyond reach.
The result avenged the Americans’ painful defeat to Nigeria two years ago, when the Flamingos triumphed on penalties to reach the semi-finals before eventually securing a historic third-place finish.
The Nigerian girls had entered the knockout stage in impressive form after finishing top of their group with three consecutive victories over New Zealand, Ecuador and hosts Dominican Republic.
The United States, meanwhile, recovered from an opening defeat to eventual champions Spain by winning their next two group matches before eliminating the Flamingos to book a place in the last four.
