Sports
Rivers Angels Beat Flamingoes In PH
The Flamingoes suffered
their first defeat after a 3-1 thrashing by Rivers Angels of Port-Harcourt in the second match of their 2014 U-17World Cup preparatory friendly at the Liberation Stadium last Sunday.
However, the Nigeria U-17 women national team side who secured a 2-1win against Nasarawa Amazons earlier in their first of four citiestraining tour failed to duplicate their winning form against RiversAngels in preparation for the Costa Rica 2014 FIFA U-17 Women WorldCup, billed for March.
Rivers Angels started brightly but missed out on an early lead in the10th minute from a penalty kick as the Nigeria U-17 goalkeeper Onyinye Okeke mustered a brilliant save to keep the game level.
Second goal hero against the Amazons of Nasarawa in Lafia and Pelican gangling forward Chinwe Ihezuo broke the deadlock in the 40th minutewith a goal from a close range to hand the Flamingoes the lead at thebreak.
Upbeat Angels of Rivers resumed the second half with a bang as they fired home an equaliser in the 48th minute through Ngozi Ebere before famous star Stella Mbachu drilled past the Nigeria U-17 girls to put her side in front six minutes later.
The rampant Coach Edwin Okon led wards never put a stop at making a statement of supremacy against the Coach Bala Nkiyu tutored age-grade side when forward Onyinyechi Ohadugha slotted home a sublime effort to complete the rout in the 88th minute.
Head coach of the Nigeria U-17 women side, Bala Nkiyu praised his girls’ “character and fighting spirit”, although he said that there is still plenty of work to be done in building a strong team for the World Cup.
“I’m happy with the performance of my girls, they played so well, but could not overcome their opponent, it was a good match for us, a lot of mistakes have been identified and we shall improve to get stronger,” he assured.
Meanwhile, the head coach of Rivers Angels who also doubles as Super Falcons gaffer, Edwin Okon, has hailed the performance of the Flamingoes and tipped them to go far at the U-17 World Cup in Costa Rica.
Okon stated that the team will be a team to beat at the World Cup, he however urged the players to step up their game and he also advised the coaches to maintain their focus on ensuring the country succeeds.
In a statement released by the league, the competition is scheduled to take place from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 14, 2026, with six clubs set to battle for the league title at the end of the 2025/26 season.
NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, said the choice of Port Harcourt reflects the Rivers State Government’s continued support for women’s football and its successful hosting of the league’s Annual General Assembly last year.
The Super Six tournament will feature the top three teams from Group A and Group B of the regular season competing in a round-robin format, with each club playing five matches over nine days.
Qualified teams for the competition include defending champions Bayelsa Queens, Edo Queens, Rivers Angels, Robo Queens, Nasarawa Amazons, and debutants Abia Angels.
The NWFL Premiership has produced four different winners in the last five editions, with Rivers Angels winning in 2021, Bayelsa Queens claiming the title in 2022 and 2025, Delta Queens triumphing in 2023, and Edo Queens emerging champions in 2024.
The league also urged participating clubs to comply with all competition regulations and directives ahead of the championship. The Super Six will determine Nigeria’s representative for the WAFU-B qualifiers for a place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League and ultimately the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
Teams are expected to arrive on Friday, June 5, when the draw ceremony and pre-match meeting will also take place. Matchdays are scheduled for June 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, with rest days in between before the tournament concludes with the trophy presentation ceremony.
