Nigeria reaches first U-17 Women’s World Cup final

Nigeria’s Flamingos reached the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time after beating Brazil 3-1 in Wednesday’s semifinal, becoming the first African team to reach the tournament’s championship match. President Bola Tinubu congratulated the players and urged them to beat Japan in the final, where a victory would make Nigeria and Africa first-time champions of the competition. Queen Joseph opened the scoring for Nigeria, and Awawu Bashiru scored twice in the semifinal. Brazil’s Greise Kelly scored a late consolation goal. The win carried the Flamingos beyond their previous best finish, a bronze medal in 2022, and secured their first appearance in the final. Nigeria’s campaign began with a 2-1 defeat to Poland, but the team recovered to reach the final. Its run included a group-stage win over defending champions DPR Korea, a 2-1 victory over Mexico in the round of 16 and a 1-0 quarterfinal win over Venezuela, secured by an 89th-minute penalty from captain Azeezat Oduntan. The semifinal victory over Brazil completed a sequence of five consecutive wins after the opening loss. Tinubu’s message, issued through his adviser on information and strategy, Bayo...