Nigeria took a giant step toward securing a spot at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with a commanding 3-1 victory over South Africa in Pretoria on Saturday.
Playing at the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe Stadium, the young Nigerian girls were in full attack in a match that reinforced the longstanding football rivalry between the two nations.
From the Super Eagles’ fierce battles against Bafana Bafana to the Super Falcons’ tense showdowns with Banyana Banyana, Nigeria and South Africa have consistently produced high-stakes clashes.
Fast Start for Nigeria
The Flamingos wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Shakirat Moshood opening the scoring in the 20th minute.
The forward, who was a standout performer at last year’s U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, once again proved her quality with a composed finish.
Nigeria doubled their lead before halftime when Harmony Chidi stepped up to convert a penalty.
Chidi, who scored an incredible 13 goals in the previous qualifying campaign, made no mistake from the spot, giving the Flamingos a comfortable cushion heading into the break.
South Africa’s Brief Response, But Chidi Strikes Again
The hosts responded early in the second half, winning a penalty of their own in the 47th minute, which Malebana calmly converted to reduce the deficit.
However, any hopes of a South African comeback were extinguished in the 68th minute, when Chidi struck again to seal Nigeria’s victory with her second goal of the match.
With the result, the Flamingos now hold a strong advantage heading into the decisive return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on Saturday, 15 March.
The winner on aggregate will advance to the final qualification round, where four teams will battle for a place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco (17 October – 5 November 2025).
Path to Qualification
Nigeria, having received a bye into the second round of qualification after finishing third at the last U-17 World Cup, faced their first major test against South Africa.
Meanwhile, Bantwana had to battle through the opening round, comfortably defeating Gabon on aggregate to set up this clash with Nigeria.
The return leg in Ikenne will be officiated by a Kenyan refereeing team, led by Josephine Wanjiku as the centre referee.
She will be assisted by Mary Njoroge and Elizabeth Njoroge, with Juma Lucy Awino serving as the fourth official.
Cindy Barbara Dludlu (Eswatini) will act as the match commissioner, while Morocco’s Khadija Rezzag has been appointed to assess the officiating team.
With the Flamingos in pole position, all eyes now turn to the return leg, where they will look to complete the job and edge closer to another World Cup appearance.
