Flamingos beat Puerto Rico 2-0 to keep U-17 World Cup hopes alive
- Nigeria's Flamingos defeated Puerto Rico 2-0 in Rabat on Tuesday in the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
- Oluwakemi Adegbuyi scored in the 25th minute and substitute Precious Oscar headed a second in the 90th.
- Nigeria face defending champions DPR Korea on Friday in a match likely to shape the group standings.
Nigeria's Flamingos revived their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup campaign on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico in Rabat, Morocco.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi put Nigeria ahead in the 25th minute, finishing off a pass from Queen Joseph. Substitute Precious Oscar sealed the win in the 90th minute, heading in a cross from Adegbuyi.
The result gives the 2022 bronze medallists a crucial three points and keeps their hopes of reaching the knockout round alive.
Nigeria started brightly, pressing high and using their pace and direct running to unsettle the Puerto Rican defence. After the goal, the Flamingos controlled much of the first half and kept pushing after the break, with Joseph, Tosin Rafiu and Favour Nkwocha all going close.
Coach Hakeem Busari brought on Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku in the 67th minute to add fresh energy up front. The changes kept the pressure on, and Oscar's late header finally made the game safe. Nigeria then saw out six minutes of added time.
What happens next
Friday's match against defending champions DPR Korea now looks decisive for Nigeria. DPR Korea thrashed Poland 6-1 in the other group fixture, so the Flamingos will need another disciplined display to strengthen their chances of progressing.
One note on the sources: Complete Sports billed the match as a Group A fixture, while Leadership reported it as a Group B encounter. The reports agree on the score, the scorers and the venue.
