Flamongos of Nigeria

Brazil U-17 women's coach Rilany Silva has admitted that her side was unable to match Nigeria's physical intensity and tactical organisation after the Flamingos secured a historic 3-1 victory in the semi-final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco.

The Brazilian coach acknowledged that Nigeria's strength, aggressive approach and ability to exploit mistakes proved decisive in Wednesday's encounter, which ended her team's hopes of reaching the final.

Speaking to FIFA after the match, Silva identified poor passing, technical errors and difficulties dealing with Nigeria's attacking transitions as some of the major weaknesses that contributed to Brazil's defeat.

According to her, repeated mistakes in possession gave the Nigerian team opportunities to take control of the game and expose Brazil's defensive vulnerabilities.

Silva also praised the Flamingos' tactical discipline, noting that Nigeria demonstrated the ability to remain organised defensively while posing a constant threat whenever they moved forward.

The defeat highlighted the gap Brazil struggled to bridge against a Nigerian side that combined physical strength with attacking efficiency.

Nigeria made their superiority count through Queen Joseph, who opened the scoring, before Awawu Bashiru took centre stage with two goals to complete her brace. Greise Kelly scored Brazil's only goal late in the match.

Beyond the victory, the result represents a major milestone for Nigerian women's football, as the Flamingos became the first African team to reach the final of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

The achievement has placed Nigeria on the verge of making further history, with Akeem Busari's side now preparing for a showdown against Japan in Saturday's final.

Having overcome Brazil with an impressive display of strength, organisation and attacking quality, the Nigerian youngsters will head into the final with an opportunity to claim an unprecedented world title and establish a new landmark for African women's football.

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