Nigeria defeated the USA 4-3 on penalties to advance into the semi finals of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup for the first time.
After three failed attempts (2010, 2012 & 2014), Nigeria reached the last four of the competition and secured their first ever win against the USA at the level.
Coach of the side Bankole Olowookere believes that the Flamingos weren’t lucky, rather that the progress was long overdue.
‘ As a country, Nigeria is bigger than just the quarter-finals, and the victory against the USA was a reward for hard work,’ Olowookere stated.
“We are not destined to be in the quarter-finals, we are a big nation in football so we just needed to work things out and God allowed things to work for us that’s why we are here today.
In their first ever semi-final appearance in the tournament, the Nigerian girls will face either Colombia or Tanzania.
