Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, suffered a narrow 1–0 defeat to France in their second Group D match at the ongoing 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Rabat on Wednesday night.
After a spirited performance that showed marked improvement from their 4–1 opening loss to Canada, Bankole Olowookere’s girls were undone by an 81st-minute strike from Maïssa Fathallah, who pounced on a rebound after goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface failed to clear her lines.
The Flamingos started brightly, pressing high and defending with greater discipline against the Europeans.
They created a few promising chances but failed to convert, with the French defence and goalkeeper standing firm.
Manchester City’s Nigeria-eligible striker Rachael Adedini, one of the tournament’s emerging stars, featured for France before being substituted at halftime for Camille Marmillot.
Despite their resilience, the Nigerians were punished late on as Fathallah’s goal sealed the win for France, leaving Nigeria bottom of Group D without a point from two matches.
The defeat means the Flamingos must win their final group game against Samoa on Saturday, October 25, to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams.
