Melisa Kekic secured a crucial goal in the 73rd minute, and Julia Amireh, another substitute, netted two more goals to help Canada claim a 4-1 victory over Nigeria in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup opener held in Sale, Morocco. Gabriela Istocki opened the scoring for Canada in the second minute, with Queen Joseph responding for Nigeria in the 30th minute. After Kekic’s goal, Amireh added two more goals in the 80th and 86th minutes.
Canada’s Chloe Taylor initiated the winning move with a precise pass, setting up Kekic to beat Nigerian goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface from outside the penalty box. Amireh then capitalized on a defensive error by Boniface to score the second goal. Later, Amireh scored her second goal by outmaneuvering a defender and converting a pass from captain Olivia Chisholm.
Despite Nigeria outshooting Canada 17-10 and having more corner kicks, Canada’s efficient finishing made the difference. The Canadians will face Samoa next, followed by a clash with France on October 25th. The top two teams from each group and the four best third-place finishers will advance to the Round of 16.
In the first half, Nigeria dominated possession, forcing Canadian goalkeeper Khadijah Cisse to make several saves. Nigeria outshot Canada 13-2 in the first half, with Joseph scoring Nigeria’s goal in the 30th minute. Canada’s Molly Hale set up Istocki for the early lead, but Nigeria’s continuous pressure resulted in Joseph’s equalizer.
Canada faced a setback before the tournament as co-captain Emma Reda sustained an injury. Despite missing the previous U-17 tournament, Canada has a strong history in the competition, with its best finish being fourth place in 2018.
Led by interim coach Gary Moody, Canada’s under-17 team secured qualification for the 2025 FIFA tournament by winning all their CONCACAF qualifying matches. Nigeria, a strong contender in women’s youth soccer, has a rich history in the competition, finishing third in 2022 and making multiple quarterfinal appearances. North Korea and Spain are among the notable past champions and finalists in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.