Awawu Bashiru scored twice as Nigeria beat Brazil 3–1 on Wednesday to reach their first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final. The Flamingos will face Japan on Saturday, giving Nigeria a chance to win a competition in which their previous best finish was third in 2022.
The teams went into the break level. Queen Joseph opened the scoring after half-time, and Bashiru then struck twice to put Nigeria three ahead. Brazil pulled one back late but could not change the outcome. FIFA named Bashiru its player of the match. Joseph’s opener mattered as much to the shape of the game as the margin at full time: it put Brazil in a position where they had to chase the match.
Ahead of the semi-final, head coach Hakeem Busari told FIFA, in comments published by the NFF: “Reaching the semi-finals is a dream come true for me and a great achievement.” His side went a step further. Their campaign had started with a loss to Poland, and their quarter-final against Venezuela was only settled by a late penalty. Against Brazil, they found three goals from open play after the interval.
The final brings a different opponent and a fresh test. Japan came through a shootout against DPR Korea after a 1–1 draw. Nigeria now have time to recover and prepare, but the semi-final already offers one clear takeaway: the Flamingos kept finding ways to threaten after taking the lead. That gave them room to absorb Brazil’s late response without putting the result in immediate doubt.
Which moment mattered most to you: Joseph’s opener or Bashiru’s second goal?
