Nigeria won a bronze medal in India at the 2022 U17 Women’s World Cup after defeating their European counterparts Germany on penalties.
A pulsating 3-3 draw in regulation time on Sunday was ensured by penalty shootouts which the young Nigerian ladies won 3-2 at the DY Patil Stadium.
The Flamingos got off to a quick start, netting three times before the turn of the hour mark.
Nibble-footed forward Opeyemi Ajakaye scored the opener in the 20th minute with her strike partner Aminat Bello adding the second in the 48th minute.
Etim Edidiong scored the third goal within just 4 minutes after coming off the bench in the 63rd minute.
Germany fired back in quick succession through Jella Veit, Paulina Bartz and Loreen Bender to level the game at 3-3 and force the shootout.
Nigeria’s win makes them only the second African country to win a bronze medal at the competition following in the footsteps of Ghana who also won bronze by defeating the same opposition at the 2012 edition.
Story by: Joshua Afari | univers.ug.edu.gh
