Nigeria’s Flamingos booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Mexico 2-1 in their Round of 16 encounter on Thursday.

Oluebube Umejiaku and Mary Dunstan scored in the second half to give Nigeria a two-goal cushion before Emily Delgado pulled one back for Mexico deep into stoppage time.

Umejiaku broke the deadlock in the 49th minute, giving the Nigerian girls an important breakthrough after a competitive first half.

The Flamingos strengthened their advantage in the 71st minute when Dunstan found the net, putting Nigeria in a commanding position as they closed in on a place in the last eight.

Mexico, however, refused to surrender without a fight and reduced the deficit through Delgado in the 90+10th minute, setting up a tense finish.

Nigeria nevertheless held on to secure a 2-1 victory and continue their campaign at the tournament in Morocco.

The result rewards the Flamingos for their determination and attacking efficiency, with Umejiaku and Dunstan delivering the decisive contributions when it mattered most.

Nigeria will now turn their attention to the quarter-finals as they pursue further progress in the competition and seek to strengthen the country’s reputation in women’s youth football.

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