The 16 year old attacking midfielder, nicknamed Omo Bashiru, went from unsung squad member to Player of the Match with goals in the 71st and 80th minutes, and Japan are next in the final.
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Awawu Bashiru was a little-known name in Nigerian football before Wednesday night. By the final whistle in Rabat, the 16 year old had scored twice on her first start of the tournament and helped the Flamingos beat Brazil 3-1 to reach the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Bashiru was born on March 30, 2010, and plays as an attacking midfielder in the number 11 shirt. She is nicknamed Omo Bashiru, and she is not attached to any big club at home. Coach Akeem Busari trusted her with a starting place against Brazil, and she repaid that faith in the second half.
The game was goalless at the break, but the Flamingos came out with real energy. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi’s work on the right set up Queen Joseph to score the opener in the 56th minute, and then Bashiru took over.
She made it 2-0 in the 71st minute, and the goal had a touch of luck, as what looked like a cross from the left ended up in the net. Nine minutes later she showed real quality, skipping past a defender and finishing calmly for her second.
Bashiru was named Player of the Match. Sports247 reports that she has played only 73 minutes at the tournament, and she spoke happily afterwards. “We did it, and it was not an easy task,” she said.
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A Rise Through The WAFU-B Cup
This was not completely out of the blue. Bashiru was already catching the eye at the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup in Yamoussoukro in September. She scored the second goal before half-time in the 5-0 win over Niger on September 16, and Sports247 says she also scored a long-range goal against Côte d’Ivoire.
The Flamingos went on to win that tournament, beating Niger 5-0, Ghana 4-2, Burkina Faso 2-0 and the hosts Côte d’Ivoire 2-0 on their way to the final. Bashiru was one of 20 players Busari took to Côte d’Ivoire, alongside names such as Harmony Chidi, Mary Dunstan and Ayomide Rotimi.
She is highly regarded for her footwork, ball skills, long shots, vision and energy in midfield. Readers who like to learn how offers work can read about how Bet9ja bonus conversion works while they follow the story.
Japan Await
Nigeria are now the first African team to reach the final of this competition, and they face Japan this weekend. The tournament in Morocco runs until November 8, so the Flamingos are one win away from a first world title.
Bashiru’s performance gives Busari a nice selection problem. Adegbuyi, Joseph and Oluebube Umejiaku have all scored in the knockout rounds, and the coach will have to decide whether to keep faith with the player who changed the semi final.
Whatever the line-up, Bashiru has already written her name into Nigerian football history. Anyone new to betting can look at the Bet9ja promotion page ahead of the final.
📌 Did You Know?
- Bashiru was born on March 30, 2010, which makes her 16 years old.
- She has played only 73 minutes at the World Cup so far, including the semi final against Brazil.
- The Flamingos scored 14 goals in two warm-up games before the WAFU-B tournament, beating RoyalToms Queens 11-0 and Generation Next Queens 3-0.
- Busari’s WAFU-B squad included players from Bayelsa Queens, Confluence Queens, Delta Queens and FC Robo Queens.
- The 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Cup in Yamoussoukro was only the second edition of the tournament.