By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
Nigeria’s Flamingos secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Benin Republic in the first leg of their final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup at the Remo Stars Sports Complex, Ikenne, on Saturday.
The visitors made a dream start when Yenido Romaine Gandonou fired Benin into the lead in the 14th minute, silencing the home crowd.
The Flamingos responded positively, with Queen Joseph restoring parity 10 minutes later to ensure the teams went into the break level.
Banking on their dominance after the restart, Nigeria took the lead for the first time in the 62nd minute through Oluwakemi Adegbuyi.
Benin refused to back down, however, and Nazifatou Dangui equalised in the 72nd minute to set up a tense finale.
The Flamingos regained the advantage just three minutes later, with Ifeanyi Kindness finding the back of the net to seal a narrow but crucial first-leg victory for Akeem Busari’s side.
Both teams will meet again in the decisive second leg at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé next weekend, with a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup at stake.
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