Nigeria’s Flamingos survived a second-half scare to beat Ghana’s Black Maidens 4-2 in their second match at the 2026 WAFU B U17 Girls Cup in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, Soccernet.ng reports.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, captain Harmony Chidi, Mary Dunstan and Kaosarat Akanji scored for Nigeria, who had to finish the match with 10 players after Elizabeth Adesuyi was sent off in the 59th minute.
The win gives the Flamingos two victories from two matches after their 5-0 opening-day victory over Niger Republic on Wednesday.
Ghana had also started the tournament with a win, beating Burkina Faso 4-0. The Black Maidens therefore entered the derby with three points, while the match also renewed a rivalry that produced a dramatic final at the inaugural WAFU B U17 Girls Cup in 2024. Ghana won that meeting on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
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Flamingos strike twice before the break
Nigeria took control in the 33rd minute when Adegbuyi opened the scoring with a well-struck effort.
The goal was another moment to remember for the FC Robo Queens forward, who was part of the Edo Queens team that won the WAFU B CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers earlier in September. Adegbuyi was named the tournament’s best player after helping Edo Queens win the regional title.
Ghana struggled to stop Nigeria’s attacking movement and conceded again deep into first-half stoppage time.
Chidi, who had scored twice in Nigeria’s 5-0 win over Niger, found the net in the 45th plus two minutes to give the Flamingos a 2-0 lead at half-time. The Bayelsa Queens forward had also scored a hat-trick against Guinea during Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign in May.
Nigeria appeared to be heading towards another comfortable victory until the game changed after the restart.
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Adesuyi was shown a straight red card in the 59th minute after bringing down a Ghanaian attacker as the last defender. The dismissal left Nigeria with 10 players and gave Ghana a route back into the match.
Seidatu Wahab took advantage three minutes later, scoring directly from the resulting free-kick to reduce the deficit to 2-1. The Black Maidens now had a numerical advantage and pushed forward for an equaliser.
Nigeria, however, responded with a decisive counter. Dunstan restored the two-goal cushion in the 70th minute after beating her defender and dribbling past the goalkeeper before finishing to make it 3-1.
Chidi thought she had added another goal three minutes later, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Ghana could not produce another comeback. Akanji added Nigeria’s fourth goal in the 87th minute with a free-kick, putting the Flamingos back in firm control.
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Gloria Ameaa scored for Ghana in the 90th minute, but the late goal only reduced the deficit as Nigeria held on for a 4-2 victory.
The result keeps Nigeria unbeaten after two matches and gives coach Hakeem Busari’s side another useful competitive game ahead of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The WAFU B tournament is being played as a single round-robin competition after Benin withdrew. Nigeria will face each of the other participating teams, with Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo involved in the revised six-team format.
Nigeria’s World Cup preparations are also gathering pace. The Flamingos have been drawn in Group B for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup alongside North Korea, Puerto Rico and Poland, with the global tournament scheduled for Morocco from October 17 to November 8.
