The Flamingos’ unbeaten run finally came to an end on Saturday night in Casablanca, as they lost 3-4 to New Zealand in a thrilling seven-goal contest — their first defeat in 11 tune-up matches ahead of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Despite the loss, the Nigerian girls showed flashes of brilliance and attacking intent that will boost their confidence heading into the global showpiece.
Nigeria started the brighter side, earning the first corner of the match within two minutes, though it was quickly intercepted.
Team captain Shakirat Moshood looked lively from the start, while goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface was called into action early on, parrying away a New Zealand free kick.
The Flamingos’ dominance paid off in the 13th minute when Queen Joseph broke the deadlock, calmly slotting home after a perfectly-timed through ball to make it 1–0.
However, New Zealand responded midway through the first half as Laura Bennett equalised in the 25th minute, marking the first goal conceded by Nigeria in their warm-up games.
The Kiwis thought they had gone ahead moments later, but their effort was ruled offside. Shakirat Moshood then restored Nigeria’s lead with a stunning long-range strike in the 42nd minute, sending the team into the break 2–1 up.
The second half provided more drama. Queen Joseph came close to extending the lead but saw her effort come off the post before Bennett struck again in the 55th minute to level things at 2–2.
The New Zealand striker completed her hat-trick in the 74th minute to make it 3–2, but Nigeria hit back almost immediately through Ayo’s fine strike from outside the box.
Just when the Flamingos looked to have regained control, Candy Sienna netted a spectacular winner for New Zealand in the 80th minute to seal the contest.
Despite creating several chances late on, Nigeria could not find the equaliser.
The loss ends their 10-game unbeaten streak, during which they scored 47 goals and conceded only four.
The Flamingos will now turn their attention to their next warm-up match against Paraguay before moving to Rabat for the World Cup.
They’ve been drawn in Group D alongside Canada, France, and Samoa, with their campaign set to kick off on October 19th.
