Flamingos Beat Puerto Rico To Resuscitate World Cup Hopes
By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria revived their campaign at the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico on Tuesday, keeping their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
Goals from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Precious Oscar secured the Group B victory for the Flamingos at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, Morocco.
The win was a timely response from head coach Akeem Busari’s side, who began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland and needed maximum points to strengthen their chances of progressing to the Round of 16.
The Flamingos started on the front foot, showing urgency in their attacking play as they sought to put their opening day disappointment behind them.
Their pressure paid off in the 25th minute when Adegbuyi found the back of the net to give Nigeria the lead to ease away pressure from the team.
The goal provided the Nigerians with the platform to dictate the contest, while Puerto Rico struggled to find a way through their opponents’ defence.
Nigeria maintained their advantage into the second half, although they had to remain patient as they searched for a second goal to put the result beyond doubt.
Busari made changes to his side as the match progressed, introducing fresh legs to maintain the team’s intensity and strengthen their attacking threat.
Precious Oscar eventually sealed the victory in the third minute of stoppage time, scoring in the 90+3 minute to ensure the Flamingos collected all three points.
The result gives Nigeria three points from two matches in Group B after their opening defeat to Poland, setting up a decisive final group fixture against defending champions North Korea.
North Korea have already demonstrated their attacking strength in Morocco, making the Flamingos final group encounter a significant test of their determination and ability to compete against the tournament’s strongest sides.
Nigeria will face North Korea in their final Group B fixture on Friday, October 23, 2026, at the Women’s Football Complex in Salé, Morocco.
However, the Flamingos will need another determined performance against North Korea to keep their hopes of advancing in the competition on course.
