23 Goals in 48 Hours: Flamingos Step Up World Cup Preparations with Another 15-Goal Demolition
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have underlined their readiness for next week’s crucial 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying clash against Benin Republic after scoring an astonishing 23 goals in two friendly matches within 48 hours.
After thrashing RoyalToms Queens 11-0 in their first warm-up game, Coach Akeem Busari’s side followed up with an even more emphatic 15-0 victory over Future Stars ’99 Soccer Academy on Saturday at their training base in Ikenne.
The latest rout showcased the Flamingos’ remarkable attacking firepower, with seven different players getting on the scoresheet.
Kindness Ifeanyi starred with a first-half hat-trick, finding the net in the 8th, 10th and 29th minutes.
Tosin Rafiu also impressed with a brace in the 13th and 19th minutes as Nigeria raced into an early lead.
Queen Joseph added the sixth goal in the 21st minute before Esther Stephen made it 7-0 five minutes later.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time to give the Flamingos an 8-0 advantage at the break.
The goals continued to flow after the restart as Oluebube Umejiaku struck twice in the 60th and 65th minutes, with Destiny Itobore scoring in between in the 63rd minute.
Precious Oscar then registered a brace with goals in the 79th and 84th minutes before Tobiloba Sarafa completed the rout with two stoppage-time strikes in the 90+7th and 90+10th minutes.
The back-to-back victories, which have yielded 23 goals without reply, highlight the team’s sharpness ahead of the decisive final qualifying round against Benin Republic’s Young Amazons.
The first leg will be played on Saturday, July 4, at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne, Ogun State, while the return leg is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo, where Benin will host their home fixture.
Nigeria booked their place in the final qualifying round after an emphatic 11-0 aggregate victory over Guinea, while Benin Republic advanced with a 5-1 aggregate triumph over Sierra Leone.
The winner over two legs will secure a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
