For 89 minutes, a combination of the post, the bar, wayward Nigerian finishing and keeper Jaylene Rondon had the Dominican Republic on course for a famous point against one of the powerhouse nations at the U17 Women’s World Cup.
In the end their hearts were broken by a late wonder strike from one of the stars of the tournament but not before they’d put up a fabulous, rearguard, resistance.
Dominican keeper Rondon had the game of her life, thwarting Nigeria time and time again but there was little she could do with the strike that settled it.
New adidas Golden Boot leader Moshood collecting the ball 25-yards from goal, teeing it up on her left and launching a rocket that flew past Rondon a minute from the end of regulation time.
Nigeria ending the group phase with three straight wins to set up a second straight quarterfinal bout with USA, while Dominican Republic finish with just the one point but plenty of new admirers and belief for the future.
Nigeria coach Bankole Olowookere said after the game: “I’m so happy, I’m happy for myself, happy for the team and happy for the whole of Nigeria. We knew in this match we had to manage our energy and strength; these are young girls with many games to play so we had to take it easy.”
Meanwhile, USA and Ecuador registered impressive victories over Korea Republic and New Zealand to punch their tickets to the knockout round.
