Nigeria’s Flamingos saw their FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup journey come to an abrupt end after a 4-0 defeat to Italy in the Round of 16 at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Morocco.
The Nigerians, who scraped through the group stage as one of the best third-placed teams, started brightly but quickly found themselves on the back foot against an Italian side full of pace and precision.
Captain Shakirat Moshood had two early chances to give Nigeria the lead, but the Italian goalkeeper stood firm. The miss proved costly as Anna Copelli pounced on a defensive mix-up just before half-time to put Italy ahead.
Nigeria thought they had equalised shortly after the restart, only for VAR to rule out the goal for a foul. From there, it went from bad to worse.
Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu misjudged a cross from Venturelli to make it 2-0, before Robino curled home a stunning free-kick to compound the misery. Giudici added a late fourth to complete the rout.
READ MORE:osimhen-vows-to-stay-sharp-for-galatasaray-and-nigeria-ahead-of-gabon-clash
The Flamingos, led in attack by Queen Joseph, their top scorer with three goals couldn’t find a response as Italy’s physicality and sharp finishing proved decisive.
The defeat means Nigeria’s hopes of matching their 2022 semi-final finish are over, as Italy march into the quarter-finals with confidence soaring.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ATHLETIC NG WHATSAPP CHANNEL NOW!
Elsewhere, hosts Morocco were beaten 6-1 by North Korea, Brazil swept past China 3-0, and the Netherlands edged the United States on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
