Nigeria twice had to come from behind before a late Ifeanyi Kindness strike settled a five-goal thriller in Ikenne, leaving the second leg in Lome finely poised.
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Nigeria’s Flamingos edged out Benin Republic 3-2 in a five-goal first leg thriller at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne on Saturday, taking a narrow advantage into next weekend’s decisive return fixture in the final round of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Benin made the perfect start, stunning the home crowd when Yenido Romaine Gandonou fired the visitors into a 14th minute lead. Nigeria responded well, with Queen Joseph levelling the scores 10 minutes later to send the teams in level at the break.
Two Late Twists Decide A Tense Finish
The Flamingos took the lead for the first time just after the hour mark, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi converting in the 62nd minute to put Akeem Busari’s side ahead. Benin refused to fold, however, and Nazifatou Dangui restored parity in the 72nd minute to set up a nervy finish.
Nigeria found the response they needed just three minutes later, with Ifeanyi Kindness netting what proved to be the decisive goal to hand the Flamingos a slender but crucial first leg victory.
Decider Awaits In Lome
The result leaves Nigeria in the stronger position heading into the second leg, but far from safe, given how competitive Benin proved across the 90 minutes in Ikenne. The two sides meet again at the Stade de Kegue in Lome next weekend, with a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on the line.
