Nigeria’s Flamingos were eliminated from the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after a heavy 4-0 loss to Italy in the Round of 16 in Morocco.
Nigeria’s Flamingos crashed out of the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after a 4-0 defeat to Italy in the Round of 16 at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Morocco on Tuesday.
The Nigerians, who advanced as one of the best third-placed teams, started brightly but failed to convert early chances. Captain Shakirat Moshood missed a one-on-one opportunity in the second minute and later forced a fine save from the Italian goalkeeper.
Italy punished Nigeria’s defensive lapse just before halftime when Anna Copelli’s low strike slipped under goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu. The Flamingos thought they had equalised in the 55th minute, but VAR ruled out the goal for a foul.
Moments later, Venturelli doubled Italy’s lead with a cross-turned-shot that caught Echefu off her line. Robino curled in a brilliant free-kick to make it 3-0, before Giudici added a fourth in stoppage time.
Despite the efforts of Queens Joseph, Nigeria’s top scorer with three goals, the Flamingos couldn’t find a reply. The defeat ended their hopes of matching their 2022 semi-final finish.
Elsewhere, Morocco lost 6-0 to North Korea, while Brazil beat China 3-0 and the Netherlands edged the USA 7-6 on penalties.