- Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team was eliminated from the tournament after a 4-0 loss to Italy in the Round of 16.
- Italy scored four goals to secure passage to the quarter-finals.
- The Flamingos had reached the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.
- Poor goalkeeping and defensive lapses were blamed for Nigeria’s elimination.
The Flamingos’ journey at the 2025 U-17 Women’s World Cup came to a close after Italy secured a commanding 4-0 victory to advance to the quarter-finals. The match, played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI in Salé, saw Italy strike first via Anna Copelli just before half-time.
In the second half, Italy maintained their dominance. Caterina Venturelli doubled the lead in the 58th minute, and Giulia Robino added a third goal shortly after. Deep into stoppage time, Rachele Giudici added the fourth to seal Nigeria’s exit.
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Despite entering the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams after defeating Samoa 4-0, and earlier falling to France and Canada, the Flamingos were unable to build on their promising start.
Their defence and goalkeeping were identified as weak links during the Italy clash, with tactical lapses and lack of composure under pressure costing the team dearly. The result ends what could have been a deeper run in the tournament for the Nigerians.
While the 2025 tournament continues and other nations battle on, Nigeria must regroup and reflect on how to improve its youth development pipeline if it hopes to match its best performance in 2022
