Harmony Chidi’s Hat-Trick powers Nigeria past Burkina Faso to final playoff
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have advanced to the final qualifying round for the 2024 FIFA U17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic after defeating Burkina Faso 6-0 in Abuja.
Harmony Chidi scored an excellent hat-trick, while Peace Effiong claimed a brace, to inspire the Flamingos to a convincing win.
The team had previously drawn 1-1 with Burkina Faso in Bamako, Mali, but showed no mercy in Abuja, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime and extending their superiority after the interval.
Chidi gave Nigeria the lead in the 11th minute, followed by Peace Effiong’s goal just past the half-hour mark. After the break, Chidi headed home her second, and Ramota Kareem’s brilliant effort compounded the woes for the visitors.
READ ALSO: Former U-17 World Cup winner, Ibrahim Babangida, laid to rest following fatal accident
Chidi completed her hat-trick four minutes from time, and Peace Effiong bagged her second to seal a dominant 6-0 win.
This victory equals Nigeria’s biggest win during the qualifiers and marks the country’s best result since beating Azerbaijan 11-0 at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in 2012. The Flamingos will now face either Senegal or Liberia in the final qualifying round.
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team won a bronze medal at the 2022 edition of the U17 Women’s World Cup in India after beating Germany in the third-place match.
