Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over hosts Dominican Republic in the ongoing 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, thanks to a stunning 89th-minute goal by midfielder Shakirat Moshood.

The match, played early Wednesday in Santo Domingo, saw Moshood’s powerful left-footed strike from 25 yards beat the Dominican goalkeeper, marking her fourth goal of the tournament.

Earlier in the game, Moshood had an attempt ruled offside by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) just 15 minutes in, while team captain Taiwo Afolabi forced the Dominican goalkeeper into a save shortly after.

Despite mounting pressure in the second half, it wasn’t until the final minutes that the Flamingos broke the deadlock.

The victory was the Flamingos’ third consecutive win, placing them at the top of Group A with nine points, ahead of Ecuador, hosts Dominican Republic, and New Zealand.

Nigeria’s young stars have been in dominant form throughout the tournament, netting eight goals and conceding just one in their previous group-stage matches.

Coach Bankole Olowokoore expressed his pride in the team’s performance, thanking Nigerians for their continued support.

He said, “I will not change our messages to Nigerians but to thank and appreciate them for their support. They should keep supporting us and having kept these vigils, it will not go in vain. Anytime they are watching us, we will give them joy, and we are going to make them proud. This is a promise that we made to them before we left Nigeria, and we are fulfilling the promise to them for them to be proud of us.”

The victory over the Dominican Republic was witnessed by a record-breaking crowd of 13,535 spectators, the highest attendance for any Dominican Republic national team match, according to the official FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup X handle.

With their place in the quarterfinals secured, the Flamingos will next face the United States in a highly anticipated knockout stage clash.