Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, produced a determined comeback performance to defeat Benin Republic 3-2 in a thrilling first leg of the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The closely contested encounter lived up to expectations as both sides displayed attacking intent, but the Flamingos showed greater resilience to edge the visitors and move one step closer to securing a place at next year’s global tournament in Morocco.
Benin made an impressive start and stunned the home supporters in the 16th minute. Forward Romaine Gandonou embarked on a brilliant solo run, weaving through the Nigerian defence before calmly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper to hand the visitors an early 1-0 advantage.
The early setback forced Nigeria to respond quickly, and the Flamingos found their equaliser just five minutes later. Queen Joseph rose highest inside the penalty area to power home a well-directed header from a set-piece, restoring parity and reigniting the confidence of the home side.
The remainder of the opening half saw both teams create opportunities, with Nigeria enjoying more possession while Benin remained dangerous on the counterattack. Despite several promising moves, neither side managed to find another breakthrough before the halftime whistle.
The Flamingos returned from the interval with renewed energy and began to dominate proceedings. Their persistence paid off in the 62nd minute when Oluwakemi Adegbuyi gave Nigeria the lead.
The move started with Kindness Ifeanyi, whose initial effort was brilliantly saved by the Beninese goalkeeper. However, the rebound fell kindly to Adegbuyi, who reacted quickest to tap the ball into the net from close range, making it 2-1 for the hosts.
Benin refused to surrender and continued to threaten whenever they moved forward. Their determination was rewarded when Nazifatou Dangui found the back of the net to level the score at 2-2, silencing the home crowd and setting up a tense final phase of the encounter.
With qualification on the line, Nigeria intensified their attacks in search of a winning goal. The decisive moment finally arrived in the 75th minute.
Once again, Kindness Ifeanyi proved to be the difference-maker. Following another dangerous Nigerian attack, the striker reacted quickest inside the penalty area to pounce on a loose ball before calmly finishing beyond the goalkeeper to restore the Flamingos’ lead at 3-2.
The winning goal sparked celebrations among the Nigerian players and coaching crew, while Benin pushed hard in the closing stages in search of another equaliser. However, the Flamingos defended resolutely to preserve their narrow advantage until the final whistle.
The victory gives Nigeria a valuable edge heading into the decisive second leg, although the one-goal margin means the qualification battle remains wide open. The return fixture in Benin Republic is expected to be fiercely contested, with both countries battling for one of Africa’s four available tickets to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Before the match, Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari had predicted a difficult encounter, noting that clashes in the U-17 women’s qualifiers are often highly competitive because of the quality of teams involved across the continent. His prediction proved accurate as Benin demonstrated remarkable organisation and attacking quality throughout the contest.
Nigeria entered the final qualifying round with enormous confidence after eliminating Guinea by an emphatic 11-0 aggregate scoreline. The Flamingos also impressed in several preparatory matches, showcasing their attacking strength and defensive solidity before facing Benin.
The latest victory once again highlighted the character of the Nigerian youngsters. Despite conceding first and later seeing their second-half lead cancelled out, the team refused to panic and continued to attack until Ifeanyi delivered the decisive goal.
Attention now shifts to the return leg, where the Flamingos will aim to complete the job and book another appearance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria has built a strong reputation in the competition over the years, and another qualification would further underline the country’s status as one of Africa’s leading producers of young women’s football talent.
For Benin, the narrow defeat still leaves hope alive. A positive result on home soil could yet overturn the deficit, promising another exciting encounter when both teams meet again.
With just one goal separating the two sides, football fans can expect another fiercely contested battle as Nigeria attempts to finish the task and secure a place among Africa’s representatives at Morocco 2026.
