Nigeria’s Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi scored a hat-trick as the under-17 girls’ team handed Guinea a 5-0 thrashing in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup second-round qualifier in Abidjan on Saturday.
The one-sided encounter at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in the Ivorian capital gave coach Akeem Busari’s side a commanding advantage heading into the return leg, scheduled for Ikenne-Remo next Saturday.
Chidi opened the scoring with the very first kick of the game before doubling the lead with a stunning long-range effort in the 13th minute to put the Flamingos firmly in control. FC Robo Queens forward Oluwakemi Adegbuyi made it three in the 37th minute, and Chidi completed her hat-trick three minutes later with a composed finish to close out a dominant first half.
Mary Dunstan added a fifth goal in the 56th minute to complete the rout and extend Nigeria’s advantage before the return fixture.
The result strengthens the Flamingos’ bid to qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals, where Africa has four spots available following Morocco’s automatic qualification as hosts.
Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories
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