Nigeria’s Flamingos beat defending champions North Korea 3-1 on Friday to reach the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Against North Korea, who had scored 12 twelve times in two matches, Coach Akeem Busari’s team took the lead in the 15th minute after a goal from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi.

The 16-year-old’s strike came after a brilliant run into the North Korean goal.

Nigeria doubled the lead in the 38th minute through Oluebube Umejiaku, who fired past goalkeeper Kim Son-gyong to compound woes for the two-time champions.

Both teams headed into the second half with the Flamingos having the advantage.

Although North Korea fought with urgency to get back into the game, the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup bronze medallist withstood the pressure.

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They made it three on the day through Kanyinsola Yusuf’s beautifully taken free kick. With eight minutes on the clock, North Korea got one back through Yu Jong-hyang’s penalty.

Yusuf deservedly won the Player of the Match prize for her outstanding performance.

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Despite the loss, North Korea finished top in the group due to scoring more goals. Flamingos ended up in second, while Poland came out third owing to an inferior goal difference – they had the same points as Nigeria.

The 2022 semi-finalists will now play against the second-placed side in Group F on October 29, 2026. Spain, Chile, Australia, and Mexico are in that group.

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Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Azeezat Oduntan has expressed delight over her team’s victory, describing it as exciting.

“I’m super proud of my teammates because they all came out and chose to play. We have to keep going and keep fighting. I feel excited, but we are not there yet because we just qualified for the next round,” she said.