Nigeria's dreams at the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup were dashed following a tough 2-0 loss to the United States in a fiercely contested quarterfinal on Saturday night at Santiago de los Caballeros, Soccernet.ng reports.
Coach Bankole Olowookere’s Flamingos, who had shown promise in earlier matches, struggled to contain a determined USA side that capitalised on defensive lapses.
The Flamingos had enjoyed a perfect run in the group stages winning all their three matches after beating hosts Dominican Republic, New Zealand, and Ecuador.
The Nigerian girls were one of the only three teams to have secured all nine points in the first round alongside Spain and Korea DPR.
However, in the United States, the Flamingos met an opposition in the hunt for their first title in the competition. Still, Nigeria gave their all. Sadly, it was not enough.
The Flamingos launched their first attempt in the 9th minute with a long-range shot from Chidi, though it lacked the precision needed to trouble American goalkeeper Evan O'Steen.
Nigeria's standout moment in the first half came when goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma made an impressive save to deny Mary Long in the 28th minute.
However, five minutes before halftime, Nigeria conceded a penalty after Shakirat Moshood’s foul, allowing Kennedy Fuller to put the USA in front.
The Americans almost doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time, but Uzoma produced two critical saves, and a last-ditch clearance kept the Flamingos in the game.
Nigeria’s Taiwo Afolabi had a golden chance to equalise in the 63rd minute after outmaneuvering a defender, only for O'Steen to block her attempt.
In the 74th minute, Kimmi Ascanio extended the USA's lead with a clinical finish, slotting the ball between Uzoma's legs.
Although Uzoma later made another save to prevent further damage, the USA’s Micayla Johnson found the net again only for her goal to be ruled offside.
The USA advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2008 while Nigeria exited the competition in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in seven appearances
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The US deserves the victory. The Flamingos played without direction and the coach’s technical incompetent was evidence. The players hardly pass the ball correctly, no coordination between the midfield and attacks, and they were just kicking ball anyhow. I believe, sincerely, those girls are not the best amongst thousands female footballers in Nigeria. When tribal sentiment becomes central issue in selecting players, what do you expect? The coach is from a certain region and decided to select most of the players from that region notwithstanding whether they are good or not. Check the list, how many players are from other regions in the country? Even the South East and South South which predominantly produce our best female footballers were under represented.
That is Naija for you. The coach decided to gamble on his tribe’s ladies and failed woefully. Let us hear what he will tell Nigerians.