Nigeria’s Flamingos delivered a ruthless attacking display on Saturday evening as they defeated Guinea 5-0 in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying tie in Abidjan, Soccernet.ng reports.
The encounter, played at the Stade Champroux, saw coach Akeem Busari's side take complete control from the opening whistle and punish Guinea with wave after wave of dangerous attacks.
Nigeria barely needed a minute to announce their intentions. Team captain Harmony Chidi stunned Guinea with the opening goal after just 60 seconds, finishing calmly to give the Flamingos a dream start on foreign soil.
The pressure continued throughout the first half as Nigeria’s quick passing and aggressive pressing unsettled the Guinean defence. Harmony Chidi struck again in the 12th minute to double the advantage after another swift attacking move sliced through Guinea’s backline.
Guinea struggled to cope with Nigeria’s pace on the wings and movement in central areas. The Flamingos continued to dominate possession and created several dangerous chances before Kemi Adegbuyi added a third goal in the 37th minute with a composed finish inside the penalty area.
Just two minutes later, Harmony Chidi completed a superb first-half hat-trick. The captain punished another defensive mistake to send Nigeria into the break with a commanding 4-0 lead and silence the Guinean bench.
Flamingos take giant step towards final qualification round
Nigeria maintained their intensity after the restart and never allowed Guinea back into the contest. The Flamingos controlled the tempo, protected their clean sheet comfortably and continued to threaten every time they moved forward.
The fifth goal eventually arrived in the second half to complete an emphatic 5-0 victory and hand Nigeria one of the biggest wins of the qualifying campaign so far.
The result places the Flamingos firmly in control ahead of the return leg in Nigeria between May 29 and May 31. With a five-goal aggregate advantage already secured, the Nigerians are now in a strong position to advance into the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Should Nigeria complete the job in the second leg, they will move one step closer to securing one of Africa’s four tickets for the tournament. The winner of the tie is expected to face the victor of the Ghana versus Liberia bracket in the decisive final qualification round scheduled for July.
