Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Benin Republic in the first leg of their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture played in Ikenne.
The Flamingos made a bright start to the encounter and took the lead in the 15th minute through Queen Joseph, who calmly finished to put the hosts ahead.
Nigeria continued to dominate proceedings and extended their advantage with a goal from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi before Kindness Ifeanyi added a third to put the Flamingos in a commanding position.
However, Benin Republic mounted a late fightback, scoring twice to reduce the deficit and set up a tense finish.
Despite the late scare, the Flamingos held on to claim a narrow 3-2 victory, giving them a slender advantage ahead of the return leg as they continue their quest for a place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
