Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, sealed their spot in the Round of 16 after a convincing 4–0 win over Samoa in their final group game at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup on Saturday.

Coach Bankole Olowookere’s girls put on a confident, attacking performance in Morocco, bouncing back in style after two straight defeats to secure qualification.

Queen Joseph opened the scoring in the 13th minute, calmly slotting home from close range after a quick counterattack orchestrated by Shakirat Moshood. Moshood then doubled Nigeria’s advantage from the penalty spot in the 28th minute after VAR awarded a spot kick for a foul in the box.

The Flamingos continued to dominate, and Joseph grabbed her second of the day in the 34th minute, finishing off a clever assist from Nguemo Terlumun to make it 3–0 before halftime.

Though Nigeria missed a penalty early in the second half, Azeezat Oduntan added a fourth in the 67th minute with a composed right-footed finish into the top corner.

Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu, who replaced Elizabeth Boniface, was impressive between the sticks, making key saves to deny Samoa any consolation, while substitutes Mariam Yahaya and, Ayomide Rotimi injected fresh energy into the side late on.

With the victory, Nigeria finished third in their group and advanced to the knockout stage as one of the tournament’s best four third-placed teams, a fitting reward for their resilience and attacking flair.