Nigeria Cruise 4-0 to Knockout Stage at U17 Women’s World Cup

Nigeria’s U17 Women made a commanding statement, securing a 4-0 victory over Samoa in their final Group D fixture at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

From the outset, the hosts attacked with purpose. A first-half brace from Queen Joseph put Nigeria firmly ahead, supplemented by strikes from Rasheedat Moshood and Azeezat Oduntan to seal the emphatic win.

Coach Bankole Olowookere made three changes to his starting lineup after a disappointing 1-0 defeat to France in the team’s previous outing, swapping in new faces such as Yahaya Mariam, Terlumun Nguemo and Echefu Sylvia a decision that paid dividends with crisp football and renewed energy.

Facing a side that had faced its own struggles, Samoa’s goalkeeper AE Grace nevertheless stood out, thwarting a hat-trick attempt by Joseph and denying Moshood from the penalty spot acts that prevented an even more lopsided scoreline.

Late in the match, Memphis-born midfielder Memunat Abubakar entered the fray but unfortunately picked up an injury, forcing a substitution of Nkwocha Ngomma; a minor blip in a dominating performance.

With this win, Nigeria advances to the knockout stage of the tournament as one of the best third-placed teams a recovery from earlier setbacks in the group phase that demonstrates character and resilience.

Editorial

In the theatre of youth international football, where frayed nerves mingle with the ambitious dreams of nations, this was a performance from the Nigeria U17 Women’s Team that signalled both intent and capability. Rarely does a group-stage finale require a bold declaration. Yet Nigeria offered one: four goals, zero concessions, and progression secured not as a fluke, but as a statement.

Credit must go to Bankole Olowookere, whose decision to shake the starting XI demonstrated the courage of a coach unafraid to recalibrate mid-course. The inclusion of Yahaya, Nguemo and Sylvia altered the dynamic it reminded us that talent alone is not enough without imagination and adjustment. On a hot Moroccan afternoon, Nigeria’s young women didn’t merely play they imposed themselves.

Queen Joseph’s brace is the kind of moment that belongs to football’s poetic ledger two strikes born not of frantic scrambles but of cerebral positioning and timing. Rasheedat Moshood and Azeezat Oduntan added gloss, yet the performance’s beauty lies in its collective precision. And yet one must not gloss over the imaginative role of AE Grace for Samoa her resilience preserved dignity in defeat, reminding us that tournaments are as much about character as catalogue.

What Nigerians must ponder now is continuation. The knockout rounds spare no indulgence. The opponents will be sharper, the margins narrower, the atmospheres louder. Nigeria’s young women have shown that they have the tools the blend of youth, energy and tactical nous now they must convert capacity into consistency.

Football is often a story of moments: a goal, a saving stop, a tactical pivot. Here we have one of those moments for Nigeria. But the real narrative awaits. If this team can transcend the group stage’s safe harbour and stride towards deeper waters, then today’s rout of Samoa will be remembered not simply for the scoreline, but for the beginning of something greater.

Did You Know?

1. Nigeria have reached the knockout stage of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in every edition since 2010, making them the most consistent African nation in the competition’s last decade.
2. Queen Joseph is the first Nigerian player at U17 level to score a brace in a World Cup group-stage victory since 2018.
3. Samoa’s participation in the tournament marks their first ever appearance in a FIFA women’s youth World Cup competition.
4. The Flamingos’ three changes to their starting XI represented their largest mid-tournament adjustment since the 2016 edition under Coach Edema.
5. The win moves Nigeria into a statistical category where teams that win by a margin of three or more goals in their final group match have advanced further than 70 % of the time in U17 women’s tournaments.