Flamingos begin WAFU B campaign with 5-0 demolition of Niger

Nigeria’s Flamingos opened their 2026 WAFU B U-17 Girls’ Cup campaign with a 5-0 demolition of Niger on Wednesday, scoring three times in the final eight minutes to underline their dominance.

Captain Chidi Harmony opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Awawu Bashiru doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 35th minute.

The Flamingos carried their 2-0 lead into half-time and continued to control the contest after the restart, although they had a goal ruled out for offside in the 42nd minute.

Nigeria eventually turned their dominance into a rout with a late flurry of goals.

Ohunene Sunday made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute before Mary Dunstan struck a minute later.

Ayomide Rotimi completed the scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Nigeria secured an emphatic opening victory.

The result gives the Flamingos an early boost in their quest for WAFU B honours while also providing valuable competitive preparation for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Head coach Akeem Busari had described the regional tournament as an opportunity for his players to assess themselves and identify areas requiring improvement before the global tournament.

“So with this, it’s really shaping us better, so that by the time we finish this, we’ll be able to see our area of strong points, area of deficiency, before the major tournament, which is the World Cup in Morocco,” Busari said before Wednesday’s game.

Busari said the Flamingos are also targeting the WAFU B title, although the World Cup remains the bigger objective.

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Captain Chidi said the players were approaching the competition without undue pressure, crediting the coaching staff for creating a relaxed environment.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure because the coaches, the staff, everybody are trying their best not to put us under pressure,” she said.

The Flamingos will now seek to build on their emphatic opening victory as they continue their campaign in the regional competition.

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Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini