Nigeria’s Flamingos produced an impressive performance to defeat defending champions North Korea 3-1 on Friday evening to seal round of 16 ticket at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The Nigerian girls delivered a statement victory in their final Group B fixture, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Oluebube Umejiaku, and Kanyinsola Yusuf scoring to help the team overcome one of the tournament’s most formidable sides.

Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Umejiaku doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 38th minute.

Yusuf then extended the Flamingos’ lead in the 56th minute to put Nigeria firmly in control of the contest.

North Korea, who entered the encounter as the reigning champions, managed to pull a goal back through Yu Jong-hyang’s 82nd-minute penalty.

However, Nigeria held on to claim a memorable 3-1 victory.

Adegbuyi set the tone for Nigeria with the opening goal, rewarding the team’s attacking efforts and giving the Flamingos an early advantage against their highly rated opponents.

Umejiaku, who also scored Nigeria’s only goal in their opening 2-1 defeat to Poland, continued her impressive contribution by finding the net again in the 38th minute to give the West Africans a two-goal cushion before half-time.

Yusuf subsequently strengthened Nigeria’s position with the third goal in the 56th minute, putting the Flamingos in a commanding position and increasing the pressure on the defending champions.

Although North Korea reduced the deficit late in the game, Nigeria maintained their advantage to secure all three points.

Nigeria’s victory represents a significant turnaround following their disappointing start to the tournament.

The Flamingos opened their Group B campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland on October 17, with Umejiaku scoring Nigeria’s consolation goal in the closing stages.

Head coach Akeem Busari’s side responded with a 2-0 victory over tournament debutants Puerto Rico on October 20.

Adegbuyi opened the scoring in that encounter before substitute Precious Oscar sealed the win in stoppage time.

The victory over North Korea subsequently capped Nigeria’s group-stage campaign with another impressive performance.

North Korea had entered the match in formidable form after recording emphatic victories over Puerto Rico and Poland, scoring six goals in each game.

Their defeat to Nigeria therefore marks a major result for the Flamingos at the tournament.

The 3-1 triumph sees Nigeria finish second in Group B with six points.

The Flamingos will now turn their attention to the knockout stage as they seek to build on their achievement of winning the bronze medal at the 2022 edition.

With their attacking players finding form at a crucial stage of the competition, Nigeria will hope to carry the confidence gained from defeating the defending champions into their next fixture.

The victory also provides a major boost to Nigerian women’s football, with the Flamingos demonstrating their determination to progress further in Morocco.