Flamingoes take pound of flesh against Germany; achieve record high

Nigeria women Under-17 ensured they didn’t leave India empty-handed on Sunday as they thrashed the German U-17 to win World Cup Bronze.

Flamingoes had lost to the Germans 2-1 in the first game of the tournament despite going one goal ahead in the encounter.

The bustling and energetic Opeyemi Ajakaye scored against Germany to reward her industry throughout the tournament.

Amina Bello scored the second of the game on the 48th minute while substitute Etim Edidiong compounded the Germans’ woes in the 63rd minute to put the Flamingoes in firm position.

The Flamingoes however allowed a return by the Germans who scored three times to level against the Nigerians.

They however went on to miss three penalties during the shootout and Nigeria won the game.

It was a World Cup of many highs for the Nigerian girls who broke the quarterfinal jinx by first qualifying for the semi final of the tournament before narrowly losing to Colombia.

The Nigerians lost to the South Americans on penalties but can take positives from their strong ending to the tournament.

By achieving a third place finish, it means Nigeria have won a podium finish at both U-20 and U-17 levels of women’s football.

Despite the disappointment of the semifinal, the Flamingoes and Nigerians can take solace in how highly the team has performed and their new achievements on the global stage.