Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, wrapped up their pre-World Cup preparations in style with a 3–2 victory over Paraguay in a thrilling friendly match in Casablanca on Tuesday evening.
The encounter, full of pace and attacking flair, saw Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side extend their warm-up record to 12 matches, scoring 50 goals and conceding just six.
The Flamingos made an explosive start, taking the lead inside the opening two minutes. A precise long pass from goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface found captain Shakirat Moshood, who set up Mariam Yahaya to chip past the onrushing goalkeeper.
Paraguay equalised in the 15th minute after a defensive error, but Yahaya restored Nigeria’s lead just before halftime, capitalising on a mix-up in the box in the 44th minute. A minute later, the forward completed a remarkable first-half hat-trick from Kaosarat Olanrewaju’s brilliant assist.
In the second half, the Flamingos pressed for more, with Ayomide Abubakar and Shakirat Moshood coming close. Substitute goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu pulled off a crucial save in the 69th minute to keep Nigeria’s lead intact. Paraguay reduced the deficit late on, but the Flamingos held firm for a well-deserved 3–2 win.
With their training camp in Morocco concluded, the team will now move to Rabat on Wednesday to settle into their FIFA accommodation ahead of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off on October 17.
Nigeria is drawn in Group D and will open their campaign against Canada on October 19, face France on October 22, and wrap up the group stage against Samoa on October 25.
