- As Poland crush Puerto Rico 6-2 to move ahead
Nigeria sent shockwaves across the ongoing FIFA Under-17 Women World Cup 2026 in Morocco by taking down back-to-back champions DPR Korea while Poland were too much for Puerto Rico as both countries qualified for the last 16 rounds of the age-grade tournament.
The 3-1 victory recorded by the Flamingos on Friday evening over Cup holders DPR Korea, saw them pulling off the most stunning result of the competition thus far with football pundits applauding the Nigerian girls for their bravery and scintillating showing.
In the Group B match played inside the Mohammed VI Football Complex – Pitch 1 in Rabat, the Moroccan capital, Nigeria opened the scoring in the 15th minute through Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, who collected a ball down the left, muscled off a defender and finished with her right foot.
Wanting more from the game, the African side struck for a second shortly before intermission when Oluebube Umejiaku surged through the DPR Korea half and finished past goalkeeper Kim Son-gyong in the 38th minute of play.
DPR Korea came out with a sense of urgency to start the second half, but Nigeria did well to withstand the pressure and then found a crippling third via Kanyinsola Yusuf’s exquisitely taken free kick that shook the back of Korea’s net in the 56th minute.
In the 82nd minute, the reigning champions pulled a goal back through a late Yu Jong-hyang penalty conversion in bizarre circumstances after a Nigerian defender picked the ball up with her hands with the referee’s whistle.
After 90 minutes plus additional time, Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Yusuf was picked and recognised as “Player of the Match’
Poland Run Riot Over Puerto Rico For Last 16 Round
Meanwhile, Poland will join the Asian heavyweights and Nigeria in the Round of 16 after their commanding 6-2 drubbing of Group B whipping girls, Puerto Rico.
Though the Puerto Ricans scored their first-ever goals at a FIFA World Cup, they were powerless to stop Poland from punching their ticket to the knockout stage.
Maja Leskiewicz got the party started for Poland in the third minute with a fine curling effort from the top of the box. Captain Zofia Burzan was next to find the net in the 11th minute, volleying home from a Nicola Galuszka corner. Wiktoria Skrzypczak then added a pair of goals in the 34th and 45+2 minutes to take her tournament tally to three.
Puerto Rico were determined to depart the nation’s first World Cup with something, though, and as a slick team move found Aleeya Olmo 25 yards out, the half-time substitute sent an unstoppable effort in off the post to make national history in the 51st minute.
Zofia Burzan stretched Poland’s lead with a penalty in the 72nd minute, before Olmo tucked home a second in stoppage time (90+1) while Zofia Switala added a header in the final moments (90+7) to cap Poland’s triumphant afternoon.
