The United States have taken top spot in Group E following a remarkable 17-0 victory over Samoa in their opening match at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, while China occupy second place after defeating Kenya 3-0.
The Americans made an emphatic statement with their extraordinary goal tally, putting themselves in a strong position as the group stage continues. China also enjoyed a winning start, collecting three points without conceding. Kenya sit third, while Samoa are bottom following their heavy defeat.
With the first round of matches completed, the focus now shifts to the teams’ next fixtures as they look to strengthen their positions and keep their qualification hopes alive.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Nigeria’s Flamingos are looking to recover from their 2-1 opening defeat to Poland in Group B. Poland took the lead through Wiktoria Skrzypczak’s first-half penalty before Natalia Skrok doubled their advantage after the break. Substitute Oluebube Umejiaku pulled one back for Nigeria in the 79th minute, but the Flamingos could not find an equaliser.
Following the disappointing result, Nigeria forward Precious Oscar has urged her teammates to remain united and organised while calling on supporters to continue believing in the team. Oscar stressed the importance of regrouping and responding positively in their remaining matches.
The Flamingos face Puerto Rico next before meeting defending champions Korea DPR in their final group fixture. Those matches will be crucial to Nigeria’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
While the USA have set the early pace in Group E, the tournament remains open, with plenty of football still to be played. For Nigeria, the challenge is to turn Oscar’s message of renewed determination into results on the pitch.