The ten-woman Flamingos defeat Ghana 4-2 in a dramatic six-goal thriller at the WAFU-B U17 Girls Championship in Yamoussoukro.
The Nigerians played over 30 minutes with a player down and still earned a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Ghana’s Black Princesses in Yamoussoukro on Friday.
A cagey opening saw several missed chances; the Flamingos found their rhythm after the cooling break with improved coordination and control.
The breakthrough came in the 33rd minute when Oluwakemi Adegbuyi broke the deadlock with an excellent finish to give Nigeria a 1-0 lead.
Captain Harmony Chidi doubled the advantage in first-half stoppage time to ensure the Flamingos went into half-time with a deserved lead.
The second half took a dramatic twist in the 59th minute when defender Elizabeth Adesuyi received a straight red card for a foul on a Ghanaian attacker.
Ghana capitalized immediately from the resulting free-kick, with captain Seidatu Wahab scoring directly to make it 2-1 and set up a tense contest, with the Flamingos at a numerical disadvantage.
10-woman Flamingos Defeat Ghana
Despite being a player down, the Flamingos showed remarkable resilience and character.
In the 70th minute, Mary Dunstan restored the two-goal cushion with a brilliant individual effort, beating her marker and rounding the goalkeeper to make it 3-1.
Harmony Chidi’s goal was ruled out for offside, but Nigeria remained in control and sealed the win in the 87th minute when Kaosarat Akanji scored superbly from a free-kick to make it 4-1.
Ghana scored a consolation late on through Gloria Ameaa in the 90th minute to make it 4-2, as Nigeria closed out the game professionally.
The 4-2 win puts Nigeria in a strong position in the championship and underlines their title credentials as they continue their quest for regional dominance in the championship.