By SCM Staff Writer I Wednesday, October 15, 2025
CASA BLANCA – NIGERIA’S U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, have fired a massive warning shot ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, rounding off their warm-up games in sensational style with a thrilling 3–2 win over Paraguay in Casablanca.
The young starlets are red-hot for the tournament, extending their incredible pre-World Cup run to 12 matches, with a jaw-dropping 50 goals scored and just six conceded.
The final friendly was a fiery affair, but it was all about one girl: Mariam Yahaya.
Yahaya’s Hat-Trick Blitz
Coach Bankole Olowookere’s girls started like a rocket, taking the lead inside two minutes. Goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface launched a monster long ball that found skipper Shakirat Moshood.
Moshood cleverly laid it off for striker Yahaya, who chipped the onrushing Paraguayan keeper for a lightning-quick lead.
After a brief spell where a defensive mistake by Christiana Sunday gifted Paraguay an equaliser, the Flamingos hit back with a vengeance.
A chaotic defensive mix-up in the Paraguay box allowed Yahaya to pounce for her second in the 44th minute, before she completed a sensational first-half hat-trick a minute later, thanks to a sweet pass from Kaosarat Olanrewaju.
World Cup Ready
Despite a late slip that allowed Paraguay to pull one back, the 3–2 win confirmed the Nigerian teens are buzzing for the big one.
Sub goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu made a crucial save to preserve the lead, showing the team has the steel to match its style.
The Flamingos are now jetting off to Rabat to settle into their World Cup base ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on October 17.
They open their Group D campaign against Canada on Sunday, October 19, before facing France and then Samoa.
It looks like the goal-machine Flamingos are ready to fly high!
