Samuel Ahmadu in Rabat

Nigeria’s Flamingos revived their hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico, while hosts Morocco suffered a 4-2 defeat to Germany on Tuesday.

The contrasting results brought mixed fortunes for Africa’s representatives, with Nigeria securing a crucial three points in Group B after losing their opening match to Poland, while Morocco were beaten in a six-goal encounter in Group A.

Flamingos Bounce Back Against Puerto Rico

Nigeria responded to their 2-1 opening-day defeat to Poland with a determined performance against Puerto Rico at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat.

Oluwakemi Adegbuyi broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, finishing after a well-timed pass from Queen Joseph to give the Flamingos a valuable first-half lead.

Puerto Rico attempted to fight their way back into the contest, but Nigeria goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho produced important saves to preserve her side’s advantage.

The Flamingos continued to defend resolutely as the Caribbean side searched for an equaliser, with Nigeria remaining patient in their quest to secure the victory.

Their persistence paid off in stoppage time when Precious Oscar scored in the 90+3rd minute, converting after an assist from Oluebube Umejiaku to seal the 2-0 win.

Adegbuyi’s influential performance earned her the Player of the Match award after she opened the scoring and helped Nigeria secure their first victory of the tournament.

The result lifted Nigeria to three points and kept their qualification hopes alive ahead of their decisive final Group B fixture against defending champions Korea DPR.

Head coach Akeem Busari will now look to build on the improved performance as the Flamingos prepare for a difficult challenge against the Asian side, who have demonstrated their quality at the tournament.

Germany Overcome Hosts Morocco in Six-Goal Thriller

In the other major African fixture on Tuesday, Morocco suffered a 4-2 defeat to Germany in their Group A encounter.

The result dealt a setback to the hosts, who had hoped to capitalise on home support to strengthen their chances of advancing to the knockout stage.

Germany proved effective in attack, scoring four times to overcome the North Africans in an entertaining contest that produced six goals.

Despite finding the net twice, Morocco were unable to prevent the European side from claiming victory, leaving the hosts needing a strong response in their remaining group matches.

The defeat puts additional pressure on Morocco as they seek to keep their campaign alive and progress beyond the group stage.

African Representatives Face Crucial Tests

Tuesday’s results highlighted the contrasting positions of Africa’s representatives at the tournament.

Nigeria have regained momentum following their opening defeat and will approach their final group fixture knowing that another positive result could prove decisive in their bid to reach the Round of 16.

Hosts Morocco, meanwhile, must regroup after their loss to Germany and concentrate on their remaining assignments.

With the group stage approaching its conclusion, both African sides face important tests of their resilience, tactical discipline and ability to deliver under pressure.

For the Flamingos, the victory over Puerto Rico provides renewed belief, but their next challenge against Korea DPR will demand another determined performance as Nigeria pursue a place in the knockout rounds.