Nigeria's Flamingos defeated Ghana's Black Maidens 4 to 2 in a thrilling WAFU B U17 Girls Cup encounter in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire, securing their second consecutive victory in the competition.

Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, captain Harmony Chidi, Mary Dunstan and Kaosarat Akanji scored for Nigeria as the Flamingos survived a second half fightback from Ghana despite finishing the match with 10 players.

Ghana captain Seidatu Wahab and Gloria Ameaa scored for the Black Maidens.

The victory leaves Nigeria with two wins from their opening two matches after the Flamingos began the tournament with a commanding 5 to 0 victory over Niger.

NIGERIA TAKES CONTROL BEFORE HALF TIME

The highly anticipated West African encounter remained competitive during the opening stages before Nigeria broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute.

Adegbuyi controlled a ball played over the Ghanaian defence before producing an impressive finish to give Nigeria the lead.

The Flamingos doubled their advantage deep into first half stoppage time.

Captain Chidi capitalised on a failed clearance and fired home Nigeria's second goal to send her team into the break with a 2 to 0 advantage.

RED CARD GIVES GHANA A WAY BACK

The match changed dramatically in the 59th minute when Nigerian defender Elizabeth Adesuyi was shown a straight red card.

Adesuyi was dismissed after bringing down a Ghanaian attacker while operating as the last defender.

Ghana quickly took advantage.

Captain Seidatu Wahab scored directly from the resulting free kick in the 62nd minute to reduce Nigeria's lead to 2 to 1.

With Nigeria reduced to 10 players, Ghana pushed forward looking for an equaliser.

FLAMINGOS RESPOND WITH 10 PLAYERS

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Nigeria restored their two goal cushion in the 70th minute.

Mary Dunstan beat her defender, rounded the Ghana goalkeeper and finished to put the Flamingos 3 to 1 ahead.

Chidi appeared to have scored another goal three minutes later, but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Nigeria continued to threaten despite playing with one fewer player.

Kaosarat Akanji eventually scored the Flamingos' fourth goal from a direct free kick in the 87th minute.

The strike effectively ended Ghana's hopes of completing a comeback.

GHANA SCORES LATE SECOND GOAL

The Black Maidens continued attacking and were rewarded with another goal in the 90th minute.

Gloria Ameaa found the net to reduce the deficit to 4 to 2.

There was not enough time for Ghana to mount another comeback, however, as Nigeria held on to secure all three points.

The result handed the Black Maidens their first defeat of the competition.

NIGERIA RECORDS SECOND STRAIGHT VICTORY

Nigeria entered the match after defeating Niger 5 to 0 in their opening fixture.

The four goals against Ghana mean the Flamingos have scored nine times across their first two matches.

Ghana had also entered the rivalry encounter following a convincing victory in their opening game.

The six goal contest therefore represented an early test for two of West Africa's leading youth women's football teams.

GHANA AND NIGERIA RIVALRY DELIVERS AGAIN

Football encounters between Ghana and Nigeria regularly attract significant attention because of the longstanding sporting rivalry between the neighbouring West African countries.

The rivalry extends across men's and women's football and different age categories.

The two countries also met in the final of the inaugural WAFU B U17 Girls Cup in 2024.

That encounter ended 2 to 2 before Ghana won the title on penalties.

Nigeria's latest victory therefore gives the Flamingos a significant result against the defending champions while maintaining their perfect start to the 2026 competition.

The tournament is also providing competitive preparation for both countries ahead of the 2026 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in Morocco.