Nigeria’s Flamingos star Taiwo Afolabi’s performance in the team’s 4-1 victory over New Zealand at the 2024 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup has earned her the Player of the Match award.
Taiwo Afolabi, who was outstanding in the World Cup game, won the award for her influential role in midfield and for scoring the fourth goal of the encounter.
Afolabi was instrumental in controlling the game alongside her teammates, which included goal scorers Shakirat Moshood, Khadijat Adegoke, and Fareedat Abdulwaheed.
Note that the World Cup match showcased Flamingos’ attacking prowess, with the Nigerian under-17 national team netting three goals within the first 28 minutes. 
The scoring opened just two minutes into the game when Shakirat Moshood found the back of the net, setting an energetic tone for the rest of the match.
Following this early lead, Taiwo Adegoke added a second goal for Flamingos in the 13th minute, demonstrating the team’s offensive strength.
The first half continued to unfold dramatically when Fareedat Abdulwaheeb executed a stunning lob that caught the New Zealand goalkeeper off guard, extending Nigeria’s lead to 3-0 just before the half-hour mark.
As the second half commenced, Taiwo Afolabi, displaying remarkable skill and creativity in midfield, contributed to the scoreboard with Nigeria’s fourth goal just 10 minutes in, further solidifying their dominance.
However, New Zealand managed to penetrate Nigeria’s defense and scored their only goal through Hannah Saxon in the 60th minute, providing a brief moment of hope for the New Zealand side. But that didn’t make much difference as the game ended in Flamingos’ favour.
In the other group match, Ecuador emerged victorious against the host nation, the Dominican Republic, winning 2-0.
The Flamingos now look ahead to their next challenging encounter against Ecuador, scheduled for Saturday.
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