…To Meet Japan in Their First Ever Finals On Saturday at 7:30pm.
Nigeria on Wednesday in Morocco played back the 1996 Olympic Games where the Dream Team ousted multitalented Brazil to qualify for their first ever Olympic football finals.
The Flamingoes of Nigeria broke the hearts of the Samba Girls of Brazil with a scintillating 3-1 historic victory when Kanuwonder Kanu Nwankwo scored a brace and in Morocco Awawu (a Yoruba name for this is our delight or choice) Bashiru scored her first world cup brace. The 2nd goal from Awawu in the 71st minute was simply beautiful while her brace that recorded 3-0 for Nigeria in the 80th was a neat assist from Oluebube Umejiaku.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi had given a thorough pass to Queen Joseph to score the first goal for Nigeria in the 56th minute but Greise Kelly was found by Queiroz to score the only goal for Brazil in the 89th minute.
The Brazilian girls have never won the title like Nigeria. Nigeria won the Bronze in 2022 and made quarterfinals four times in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2024 which is greater than the achievement of Brazil that placed 4th in 2025 and made the quarterfinals thrice in 2010, 2012 and 2022 within 7 appearances like Nigeria.
Twice have they met before on 8th November 2008 when they drew 2-2 in group D and on 1st October 2016 when Brazil pipped Nigeria by a lone goal in group C. On both competitions both teams did not go beyond the group stages. Check.
To get to the semifinals Brazil whipped Canada 6-2, drew 3-3 with Ghana, slammed Norway 3-0, played the longest penalty shootouts in the tournament winning 8-7 against Poland after 3-3 at full and edged China 2-1 at the quarterfinal.
Nigeria is the only team that lost her first match and with typical resilient characters of Nigerian sports teams is still standing. Nigeria lost to Poland 1-2, beat Puerto Rico 2-0, shocked Defending champions North Korea 3-1, beat Mexico 2-1 and stopped Venezuela in stoppage time by a lone goal in the quarterfinals.
The Flamingoes of Nigeria will line up against Japan on Saturday at 7:30pm in the grand finale after Brazil would have met the down graded four times world champions North Korea in the battle for the Bronze at 4pm.
Read Also:FIFAU17FWC: Costly Error Detrones Four Times World Champions,North Korea to Fight Now For Bronze.
Japan broke the heart of their local rival North Koreans also from the Asian Football Confederation with an own goal equalizer in the 89th minute and subsequently won the match via 4-1 penalty shootouts in the 1st Semifinal earlier today.
The noise at the Stadium was a typical King George V Stadium (Onikan Stadium) in Lagos Nigeria when visiting Brazilian men’s football team that included the legendary Edson de Nascimento Pele was well handled by the then Green Eagles of Nigeria and I remember very well that Segun Olumodeji who we call Olumorock (The famous Abeokuta rock) successfully marked out Pele.
That match was on 29th January 1969 with Santos FC that included Pele. It ended 2-2 at Onikan. Pele scored both goals for Brazil. Despite the draw Lagos crowd sang as if they won but in Morocco, Nigeria won convincely.
The crowd boastfully sang in Yoruba, “ati leri pe a ma lu won pa, patapata. A ti leri pe a ma lu won pa, patapata”. (Meaning we have vowed to beat them silly”). That song distracted me as the Nigerian girls tweaked to the dressing room. What will it be like in the dressing room? Will they sing that song again against Japan in their first ever appearance at the grand finale on Saturday night?
Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line.
#FIFA #FIFAU17FWC #AFC
#CAF #CONCACAF #CONMEBOL
#EUFA #NFF #CBF.
