Just days after emotionally opening up on her recovery from injury heartbreak, Harmony Chidi produced a captain’s performance to inspire Nigeria’s Flamingos to a crushing 5-0 victory over Guinea in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
The Flamingos skipper was unstoppable in Abidjan, scoring a sensational hat-trick as Nigeria seized full control of the second-round qualifying tie ahead of next week’s return leg in Ikenne-Remo.
Chidi Harmony. Nigeria Flamingo Captain,
Played at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the encounter exploded into life instantly when Chidi scored with the very first kick of the game to hand Nigeria an immediate lead.
The Imo State-born forward doubled the advantage in the 13th minute with a stunning long-range strike before completing her hat-trick shortly before halftime to cap a devastating first-half display from the Flamingos.
FC Robo Queens attacker Oluwakemi Adegbuyi also got on the scoresheet in the 37th minute, while Mary Dunstan added Nigeria’s fifth goal after the break as coach Akeem Busari’s side completely overwhelmed Guinea.
Nigeria Flamingo team.
The dominant away victory places Nigeria firmly in control heading into the second leg scheduled for Saturday in Ogun State.
The performance carried extra emotional significance for Chidi, who recently reflected on the difficult rehabilitation process that forced her to miss a previous World Cup campaign.
“First and foremost, I have to thank God for what He has done for me because I believe it’s all God,” she said before the match.
“God healed me, God brought me back and made me start playing again.”
She also spoke about the strong unity within the squad and the players’ determination to secure another FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup ticket for Nigeria.
