Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, have advanced to the final of the female football event at the 22nd National Sports Festival after edging Team Ogun 1-0 in a tense semi-final clash on Sunday.
The Flamingos, bronze medallists at the 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, left it late to secure victory.
Shakirat Moshood held her nerve from the penalty spot, calmly converting from six yards after her side was awarded a spot-kick in the dying minutes of the match.
They will now face Team Delta in Tuesday’s final at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta. Delta cruised past Team Osun 4-1 in the other semi-final, setting up an intriguing showdown with the Flamingos.
Meanwhile, it was disappointment for the Golden Eaglets in the male category.
The U17 boys suffered a 2-1 defeat to Team Ogun in the second semi-final at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo. They will now battle for the bronze medal.
Earlier, Team Kwara had booked their place in the male football final with a narrow 1-0 win over Team Kaduna in the day’s opening semi-final.
Both bronze medal matches will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium, while the finals of the male and female football events are scheduled for Tuesday at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex.
The participation of the Flamingos and Golden Eaglets is part of the National Sports Commission’s commendable Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative, aimed at providing young talents with top-level competitive experience.
