Nigeria U17s Held 1-1 By Ethiopia In 2018 World Cup Qualifier

The national women's U17 team, the Flamingoes, secured a morale boosting 1-1 draw with Ethiopia in the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa on Sunday.

Dashing winger Joy Jerry gave Nigeria the lead in the 18th minute before Tarikow Debiso got the equalizer for the home team in the 63rd minute of the match.

Both sides tried to grab the match winner but all their efforts proved abortive.

The Flamingoes will host their Ethiopian counterparts in the second leg match which will be played in a fortnight at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

The cracker in Benin City will be the second stage of the qualifiers which will see the winner facing Cameroon or Algeria in the last round to the U17 World Cup in France next year.

Nigeria have qualified for every single edition of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, five in total.

Abayomi Ademetan