Nigeria’s Flamingos began their campaign at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening Group B match on Saturday.

The match, played at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, saw Poland score twice before Nigeria pulled one back late in the second half.

Poland took the lead from the spot in the 33rd minute through Wiktoria Skrzypczak before Natalia Skrok doubled the advantage in the 65th minute, finishing a move assisted by Blanka Zajac.

The Flamingos responded in the 79th minute when Oluebube Umejiaku converted a pass from Kanyisola Yusuf to reduce the deficit and raise hopes of a comeback.

However, Poland held on to secure all three points, leaving Nigeria with a disappointing start to their campaign.

Saturday’s encounter was the first meeting between both countries at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Poland have featured at the tournament once before, reaching the quarter-finals in 2024, while Nigeria have established themselves as regular participants.

The Flamingos have made eight appearances at the competition, reaching the quarter-finals in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2024.

Nigeria’s best performance came in 2022, when they won the bronze medal. The team lost their semi-final against Colombia on penalties before defeating Germany in the third-place match, also via a shootout.

The Nigerian side will now turn their attention to Tuesday’s Group B fixture against Puerto Rico as they seek to recover from the opening defeat and strengthen their chances of reaching the knockout stage.