Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to Canada in their opening match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on Sunday.
The Canadian side struck early through Gabriella Istocki, who found the back of the net in the second minute, catching the Nigerian defence off guard.
Nigeria fought back and restored parity in the 30th minute when Queen Joseph scored to level the match at 1-1 before the break.
The second half proved disastrous for the Flamingos as Canada dominated proceedings. Milisa Kekic put the Canadians back in front in the 73rd minute, before Julia Amireh struck twice in the 80th and 86th minutes to seal a comprehensive victory.
The result leaves Nigeria with an uphill task in Group A, and they must regroup quickly ahead of their crucial second group match against France on Wednesday.
The Flamingos need a positive result against the French to revive their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the competition.
Canada, meanwhile, will face Samoa in their next fixture, with a win guaranteeing them a place in the next round of the tournament.
